


Wolf Love

by CartoonJessie



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle - Freeform, Rumbelle Secret Santa, Rumbelle Secret Santa 2014
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CartoonJessie/pseuds/CartoonJessie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the hermit Rumplestiltskin finds a mysterious maiden, exhausted and frozen to the bone in the snowy forest around his cabin, he takes her in with the desire to make her better again. But will she ever accept him for what he really is once she wakes and gets to know him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. THE GIRL IN THE CRIMSON CLOAK

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this Rumbelle fanfiction that was written for thenaughtyscandalousscorpio during the Rumbelle Secret Santa on Tumblr this year. It is my first time posting on AO3, and I'm hoping to get some more feedback than I usually do on Tumblr. Thanks again for taking an interest in the fic!

Anyone that would have seen her make her way through the dark, snowy forest would have called her a fool. Her feet were nearly bare in the thin shoes she wore, even while the snow crisped beneath her feet. Her teeth clattered and she was frozen to the bone, her hands almost as blue as her eyes, too chilled to even tremble anymore. While her brown hair usually framed her beautiful face so pleasantly, all it showed now was the terror on her pale face, as though she had travelled into hell and back.   
She tried to keep her crimson cloak wrapped warmly around her, but she had ran from one strange forest into the next, and had done that a dozen times over. The cloak was now torn by thorns and snagged to rags. She knew that she would die if she would not find a warm shelter soon. She had already been walking for more than twenty-seven hours, and the steps she took were getting smaller by the hour. She was hardly moving at all anymore, and as the wind howled around her and the snow storm raged on, the tears on her cheeks only slid down into a nasty cut on her cheek – a cut she had gotten when she had run into a nasty branch – one of the many.   
Worse than her physical discomforts, were her emotional ones. Seven months ago, she had still had a happy life. She had been a princess in a tiny kingdom – Navarre was its name, and it had been hardly more than a town, really – and her father Maurice and her mother Colette had been by her side. But now both of them had lost their lives due to the Ogres that had invaded their little land, and hardly anything was left of Navarre. Everyone who had once lived there had now fled, and Ogres had claimed the land as their own.  
A knight called Gaston had taken her with him. They had found shelter in a neighboring kingdom, and for several months, she had lived in a fine house there, and Gaston had left her to mourn. But then, he had begun to woo her – and though she had tried to change his mind, he would not take ‘no’ for an answer. He wanted to marry her, even if she did not want to, and a month ago, when he had been unable to take her ‘no’ for an answer, she had run away.   
Ever since that day, she had been chased, and she had hardly had an hour of rest since. When she had heard a snowstorm was coming, she had not stayed in the small town she had found, because she knew Gaston was tracking her as it was. She had ran, hoping the snow would cover the imprints of her feet in the fresh snow, and she realized now how foolish that had been of her, for she had not wanted to die so cold and alone.  
She could not sit down to rest, or she would surely freeze to death, yet she felt like she could not continue either. She had lost sensation in her feet hours ago, and it was a wonder that she was still able to stand on them. Lost in her own thoughts, she had a few times thought that perhaps this was how she would be reunited with her parents. Perhaps her life was meant to end this way. Perhaps she had to rest against one of these trees – until eternal rest would reunite her with the only two people she had ever truly loved.   
As she walked to a large oak, she leaned against it, her face shielded from the heavy wind for a second, and she was able to breathe freely again, the sensation of the cold air in her lungs only comparable to daggers that were cutting her from the inside out.   
She started sobbing, wailing even, all self-pity and misery taking over, and when she heard a snap of a branch behind her, she froze again, realizing how stupid it had been of her to make a sound. Perhaps it was Gaston, who had been tracking her, and who would now take her with him and force her to be his wife – or perhaps it was a wolf, ready to tear her to pieces and eat her alive.  
If she had to choose, she honestly preferred the latter option. At least the wolf had no choice.  
She slowly turned around, her heart skipping a beat as she saw something else. It wasn’t Gaston, nor was it a wolf, but it was a man dressed in black leather, the clouds of white air that came out of his mouth and the quick heaving of his chest betraying how he had been running for a while – yet he did not seem exhausted because of it – he seemed all the more awake, and he looked at her with wide dark-brown eyes, like he could not believe that she was there.   
It took Belle a moment to realize that if there was a stranger here, that meant that there was a town nearby, and it meant that perhaps she would survive this horrible fate after all. Reaching out her frozen hand to him, she took a step closer, and though she opened her mouth, knowing she had to say something, she was too tired to even ask for his help, or to walk to him at all. As relief washed over her – relief that she would survive – she lost all consciousness – and she fell face-down in the snow, nothing but her crimson cloak left to the sight of the stranger.


	2. HANDS OF THE DEVIL

For a moment he drank in the sight of her – the crescent moon illuminating her small form beneath the dark red cloak – and as he knelt by her side and moved her hood down, he let out a small moan of longing at the sight of her. Even he did not know what caused him to feel that way. Was it just her general beauty, or her soft lips, or her luscious lashes, or was it the sight of the cut on her cheek that made his blood boil for her?  
Leaning down even further, he brought his nose to her hair, allowing her scent to fill him up, and he closed his eyes for several seconds, reveling in the warmth her smell left in him.  
It took him a moment to remind himself that if he did not take her somewhere soon, she would die in this bed of snow, and he soon scooped her up in his arms, finding her lightness perhaps her most endearing quality. She hardly weighed anything, and it was with that that his protective instinct was awakened. He put her hood on again, and took off his own black cape as well, putting it over her. She needed the warmth far more than he did, and they’d be home in a matter of minutes.   
With the princess in his arms, he ran as quickly as he could, not yet realizing what treasure he held so tightly.  
A small fire was already burning in the hearth, and as he lay the girl down in front of it, he quickly put a few more logs on it, hoping the fire would warm her soon enough.   
He started gathering sheep skins he had and put them next to the girl, until the hard ground of his half-stone, half-wooden hut was covered with it, and he lifted her again to put her down on it, taking off his black cloak and her crimson one to see how she was doing. She was wearing a blue dress, but it was torn in several spots, and when he put his hand on the fabric, he could feel how frozen it felt, as though it had gotten wet and had then frozen onto her.   
She was still as pale as before, even if she was inside a warm hut now, and he realized he would need to do more to keep her alive. Keeping her in these frozen clothes wasn’t going to help. Once it thawed, she would get colder and even sicker than before.  
His fingers started working the brown frozen laces of her bodice, tearing it open with no doubt in his mind, though he suddenly hesitated when he saw the white blouse she wore underneath it, and the pink outline of her nipples through the fabric.   
Had it been a man he had been trying to save, he would not have hesitated about baring him, but now he gulped away the lump in his throat as he worked her out of the blue skirt as well. As she was now wearing nothing but her white undergarments, he realized she looked as pale as the fabric, and letting his hand ghost over her stomach, he slowly brought it down to touch her, feeling how the warmth was causing the water that had been frozen to the fabric to melt, and he knew it would not be to her advantage if he let her keep those clothes on.   
He hardly dared to look at her as he helped her out of her underskirt and blouse, but as he put her clothes to the side, he could not resist glancing at her, drinking in what he saw with hungry eyes. He felt a slight twitch in his pants, but quickly looked away, getting up from the floor again. How had a small beauty like her ended up in this godforsaken forest? It was a very curious thing indeed.  
He took a blanket out of the cupboard and covered her with it, nothing but affection in his movements and eyes as he gently wrapped her up with it. Putting a pillow underneath her head, it almost looked like she was sleeping, and he wondered if she was dreaming, or if that was even possible when someone was unconscious.  
Her feet had a dangerously blue color, and he sat himself down by them, slowly rubbing his warm hands over them, hoping to bring some color back to them that way.   
“What’s your name?” he whispered, realizing she was still unconscious, but he was merely practicing, realizing how out-of-touch he was with social talk. “I’m Rumplestiltskin,” he added, trying to offer her a smile, but it came out rather afraid and uncertain of himself.   
Frowning as he realized it wouldn’t do, he tried it again, this time a bit louder, almost as though he was barking out the words instead of just saying them, and he cringed at the sound of his own voice. It just wouldn’t do if he spoke to her like that. She would think him a freak and hate him for it.  
Still rubbing her feet, he tried several times more, until the words came out fluently enough, almost feeling completely natural on his own lips. He added in the sentence: “You are welcome to stay as long as you need to recover,” finding it quite a nice thing to say, though he already doubted she would stay for very long. No one had ever chosen to stay with him for a long time, so he knew she wouldn’t either. Still, it was the polite thing to say, and so he practiced it a few times.  
With color returning to her legs, and her feet almost as warm as his own hands, he moved so he could watch her face a little closer, wiping a few strands of hair from it and realizing she needed to brush her hair. It was full of knots, but that did not mean that he found her any less beautiful because of it. His fingers trailed the cut on her cheek, and though the blood had already dried up, Rumplestiltskin lowered his face to hers, unable to stop himself from sniffing the old wound. The scent of blood was old, but it was still there, and it was like a drug to Rumplestiltskin, who felt a shiver run over his entire back because of it.   
Letting one hand trail from her cheek to her shoulders, he felt how cold she still was, and he lifted the blanket just enough to lay by her side. Turning her to her side, he lay with his front to her bare back, her body cooling his down as his warmed hers. Putting his hand on her side, he moved it over her skin, realizing in what trouble he would find himself if she were to wake right now. Yet that did not stop him. He moved his hand in circles over her stomach, his hand tingling from the sensation of her cold, yet soft belly against the sensitive skin of his palm. Carefully, he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders, holding her pressed close against him. “Forgive me, young beauty,” he whispered in her ear, his voice full of affection and longing. “I have not had such fine company such as yourself in what seems like a lifetime to me…”  
He put his nose in her hair and took in her scent again, not realizing that his attentions had finally awoken the beauty in his arms, and feeling disoriented and exhausted, yet also wonderfully warm in this stranger’s arms, she kept quiet, taking in her surroundings and watching the warm fire in front of her, as well as her clothes on the chair next to the fire. When she realized she was naked in a stranger’s arms, her heart skipped a beat because of it, yet she did not dare betray she was conscious just yet.  
She wanted nothing more than to know what kind of man she was dealing with, and when she felt his hand move lower over her stomach, until the spot where her curls began, she was surprised to feel it move up again, just until underneath her breasts, his finger gently brushing the underside of her breast, and she had never known that a man’s touch could be so affectionate and careful. Had she not been so exhausted and cold, she might have made a scene or fought this stranger, but for now, she spared her strength, finding it surprising how the man just kept on rubbing the stomach, rubbing her warm, and didn’t touch her breasts, even though they were very cold.   
His hands were so warm on her skin, it was like they were the devil’s. Perhaps that was also what explained why she wanted to feel more of him. It felt good, it felt amazing even, to be warm and safe in someone’s arms like that, someone who looked after her, yet kept certain boundaries.   
When she suddenly heard his voice in ear, she kept her eyes closed, wondering if he had realized she was awake, or if he was merely talking to himself. After all, he had been talking to himself when she had woken up too, though she couldn’t even recall what he had said then, but now she was paying full attention.   
“What’s your name?” he whispered, but he did not wait for a reply, continuing immediately with: “I’m Rumplestiltskin. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to recover.” The words sounded too practiced, even to Belle, and she kept quiet yet smiled as he repeated the words once more. He added: “I will do anything you ask – anything at all. Please don’t be afraid of me. Please don’t hate me.”  
Belle wondered why he would say those things. Why would she be afraid of him? Why would she hate him?  
She noticed as his hand suddenly travelled from her stomach to her side, then lower, over her hip to her upper legs, and she could feel his warm fingers trail over her upper leg, even over her buttock, which still felt nearly frozen to Belle, and so she was not as offended as she would have been had she not been frozen to the bone. His hot glowing hands were even welcomed by her, and so she pretended to be asleep for a while longer, laying still in his arms.   
“I’m Rumplestiltskin,” he said once more, his voice soft and hot in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. “I’m sorry if I sound awkward, my dear lady. I’m not used to any company.” He hesitated, thinking over the right words. “Do I sound pathetic to you, my lady? I assure you that I’m not… I mean… not completely… I’m… I’m not anymore… I can h-help you – protect you – as long as you wish to stay.” He inhaled the scent of her, still rubbing her bum and feeling his pants tighten around him. He would burn in hell for what he thought of her now. He would burn in hell if he acted upon his urges, but another bit of him reminded him he would burn in hell regardless of what he thought or did right now. It was too late for redemption for him.  
But that did not mean that he wanted to put her through this hell on earth.   
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, allowing himself to indulge himself in her presence for a little while longer. He could behave when she was awake, he figured, not realizing that she was listening to all his words now, even those he repeated over and over. “I’m Rumplestiltskin, and I know I’m not worthy of your presence or to even touch your beautiful body, but I’m merely trying to keep you warm…” Gulping, he added honestly: “Or that’s what I try to tell myself, but you are so addicting – so beautiful – so soft…”   
He inhaled her scent once more, a soft whimper escaping his lips before he brought them to her shoulder, kissing her gently, and Belle gulped, finding his lips to feel so sweet and tender, so careful, that she could not help but wonder what it would feel like if she were to turn around in his arms and kiss him back. Would he kiss her and continue his soft affections, or would he stop? Or would he turn into the sort of monster Gaston had been? Would he listen if she asked him to stop now, or would he continue and ignore her plea, like Gaston had done when he had brought his lips to her skin and she had asked him to stop? She shivered suddenly at the memory of that, and it did not go unnoticed to Rumplestiltskin.  
“Milady?” he asked, his hand immediately moving from her bum to her side, hoping she had not consciously felt that.   
She realized she could not stay still for much longer, even if she had liked to revel in his warm presence a while longer. Moaning softly, she betrayed her waking conscience, and she could feel how the stranger left her side, so sudden that she only moaned louder when he was completely gone from her side.   
When she opened her eyes fully again, she leaned on her elbow as she turned around and looked at him, her hands keeping hold of the blanket so she was still covered before his eyes.   
The man that had saved her had ash-brown hair, but it was clear that he was graying already. He had to be fifteen years older than her – at least – yet there was something in his eyes that made him look over a century old – as though he had suffered a lot and was now looking at her with all the hope a frightened child placed in the world.   
“Hey,” she whispered, realizing how he had completely frozen up as she had locked eyes with him, his cheeks burning with shame and his hands nervously folded together in his lap, actually covering a bulge in his black leather pants that he would rather keep from her sight.  
“He-hello,” he stuttered nervously, nervously glancing at the floor as he did not dare to continue looking at her. “I-I’m R-Rumplestiltskin.”   
He gulped, realizing he had forgotten all his previous words. What was he meant to say to her again?  
The former princess could see his anxiousness and hear his sudden stutter – and she could not help but feel sorry for him.   
“I’m Belle,” she replied, her voice warm and inviting, and he finally dared to look at her again, her smile reassuring him that he did not need to worry too much. “Are you the one that saved me in the forest?”  
He nodded quickly, even inching forward a little, feeling proud of that, especially because she asked it with such affection in her tone.   
“Thank you,” she whispered, smiling. “And you managed to warm me up too,” she added, still smiling and she hoped he couldn’t see the twinkle in her eye.   
He nervously smiled in return, nodding once more. To him, it seemed like she had not realized what he had done while she had been sleeping, yet that did not mean that he felt completely guiltless about it.   
“Are you… are you thirsty?” he asked carefully, wanting to be a good host, even if he hardly possessed anything to offer her at all.   
Belle nodded, realizing how hungry she was, and as though her stomach realized it as well, it growled, and it did not go unnoticed to Rumplestiltskin. His cheeks turned red as he realized he didn’t even have anything for her to eat, but he did get up to walk to a cupboard, where he pulled out a bottle of wine that was covered in dust. He had not been in that particular cupboard in years, but he was glad that he had a few bottles there. If he had not had that, he wouldn’t have been able to offer her anything but some snow melted to water.   
He didn’t have any fine glasses to offer her, and he took an old mug from a rack against the wall, pouring some wine into it before he knelt by her side again, not sure whether he needed to offer her the mug first, or help her sit up straight.   
Belle’s arm was trembling as she supported herself, and the blanket came down a little, though she was still covered up well enough as she held the blanket in place with her other hand. Rumplestiltskin, however, was not looking at her grateful eyes, he was looking at her shoulders, wondering if they had looked so soft just a moment ago, and if he could ever touch them again.   
Belle noticed his distraction as well, but she was too tired to mind it. She took the mug and drank it, the wine burning her throat – but it was a good way of burning, like his hands had burned while he had touched her skin.   
As she drank all the contents of the mug, she put it down on the floor beside her, looking at her clothes. “Is my underskirt dry yet? Or my blouse?”  
She watched as Rumplestiltskin reached out his hand to feel it, then shook his head, his cheeks turning a little pink as he did so. “Not yet,” he replied softly, his voice a little hoarse, and Belle wondered why his voice sounded like he was so unused to company. Was there no village nearby after all?   
“That’s okay,” she replied softly. “If I can stay until they’re dry, that is?”  
Those words reminded him of something he had meant to say – something he had practiced, and he stuttered: “You-you can st-stay as long as you want!”   
His cheeks turned red again, feeling ashamed of his own incapability to talk properly these days, but Belle’s smile warmed his heart regardless of that.   
“Thank you so much, Rumplestiltskin,” she said as she lay back down, closing her eyes for a moment as she realized how tired she was. “I’m very tired,” she admitted as she opened her eyes again. “I’d been stuck in that snowstorm for over a day and would like to sleep some more.”  
Rumplestiltskin nodded – glad she wasn’t trying to get away from him just yet, but even his jaw dropped when she suddenly proposed: “Come sleep by my side, if you want. I’m still very cold, but I’m sure I’d feel better with someone next to me.”  
For a moment he was completely frozen in disbelief, unable to grasp that a beauty like her would invite someone like him by her side, but he did not waste time in joining her once he got his limbs to move again. After all – he didn’t want to give her the time to change her mind.   
Joining her underneath the blanket, she put her back to his front again, even while he was hesitant to meet her body, and he was stunned to find she pulled his hand so that his arm was underneath her neck, so that he really had no means of getting away from her if he so wanted to.   
He also found her looking for his other hand, tangling her fingers with his and pulling it up underneath her chin, so his arm was covering her torso now. He gulped quickly, his chest heaving in something that resembled terror, but Belle was already falling asleep again.  
It was only when she slept, that he relaxed some more, putting his nose in her hair and smiling as he inhaled her scent. For tonight, she was his, or he was hers, but no matter how it was, he couldn’t have been happier about it. Just for the remainder of this dark night, he would _belong_ , and he had not thought he’d ever experience that again. 


	3. NOWHERE TO RUN

The first light of day made him stir, and he grabbed a firmer hold of the naked beauty in his arms, squeezing the hand she had entwined with his, but she only responded by leaning back even more into his embrace.   
As he realized he wasn’t dreaming, his eyes flew wide open, and he soon remembered everything that had transpired the evening before. His lips mouthed her name:  _Belle_. Her stomach growled even while she slept and he realized she would never stay if he could not feed her.   
Slowly working his way out from underneath the blanket, he noticed how she moved a little, then opened her eyes, looking at him as though she needed to hear an explanation for him leaving her side.   
“I’ll be back,” he said softly, reassuring her as he knelt by her side and touched her bare shoulder. “Stay here. Sleep. I’ll get you something to eat.”  
She smiled so warmly, so happily, that he felt his heart flutter because of it. Not just that, but he had not stuttered just yet. Perhaps he wasn’t so out of touch with other people as he feared he was. Perhaps he only needed to keep his nerves under control.  
As she closed her eyes again, he put a log on the fire, hoping it would be enough to keep it going until he returned, and he put on his cloak before he went outside, grabbing a straw basket that stood on the porch, looking at the thick blanket of snow around his small hut. He could see tracks of birds and rabbits here and there, but other than that his house was as deserted as ever.   
Snow or no snow, Rumplestiltskin didn’t walk to the town – he _ran_. It took him an hour to reach it, and he hoped Belle was still sleeping. It was very early after all.   
On the edge of town was a stone house, belonging to the local butcher – a woman the townspeople referred to as the widow Lukas. Opening the door, Rumplestiltskin walked in, stomping his leather boots on the mat so that he would not carry all the snow across the hallway. Entering the little room she used for selling her goods, another customer noticed Rumplestiltskin entering it, raising his nose in disgust as he turned back to the widow Lukas.   
“Do you have to serve  _his kind_  as well?”  
The woman seemed annoyed by that remark, and replied harshly: “Would you rather serve him in person then? Or would you prefer for me to sate his appetite? Besides, who do you think brings in all those rabbits you buy here?”  
The man didn’t reply, but he seemed embarrassed now, quickly paying the widow before he rushed out of the shop, not looking at Rumplestiltskin as he left.   
“Sorry about that,” the widow Lukas muttered. “Same as usual, Rumple?”  
Rumplestiltskin gulped, shaking his head, and he took a few steps closer to the counter. “I… I need more…”  
“More beef?” the widow asked, gazing at him over her small glasses, apparently quite surprised. Rumplestiltskin had never asked for more in all the years she had served him.   
“More… anything,” he replied softly, licking his lips. “I… I have a guest…”  
He blushed as he admitted that, and the widow Lukas seemed too stunned to say anything for a moment.   
“She… she’s not like me, but…  _normal_.”  
As he looked up at the widow, he noticed how she had frozen all of a sudden, and it took her a while to reply.   
“This ‘she’ you speak off… Does she happen to be rather short? With brown curly hair and bright blue eyes?”  
He gulped, unable to understand how she could have known this. Did the widow Lukas know Belle? How come he had never seen her in town then? And why had he met Belle on the other side of the forest then? It just made no sense.  
The widow left the counter and made her way to the window, her eyes gazing outside as though she was looking for someone, and she quickly added: “There was a man here – a hunter – a huge guy, wearing rather noble clothes, well-armed, but also rather angry. He said his fiancé had run away during the snowstorm and he was looking for her. He described her as I just did to you. Is she your guest? The young maiden named Belle?”  
Rumplestiltskin gulped, looking guilty now, but the widow took his chin and forced him to look into her eyes.   
“Rumplestiltskin,” she said sternly. “That man was the most unpleasant person I’ve seen in a long time, and you know as well as I do that most hunters that walk into this store aren’t that pleasant company. He only seemed to care about dragging her with him to the altar, nearly staring me to death when I asked him why she had run away from him. Make sure he does not find her. Hide her if you must and erase all tracks! He asked about nearby houses, to check if she had found shelter in any of those, and I’m sure that he’ll follow your tracks too, you must…”  
But Rumplestiltskin did not let the widow finish her sentence. He understood what he needed to do, and he dropped his basket on the way out, running as fast as he could, nearly pushing over the widow’s granddaughter as she tried to enter the shop at the same time he left it.   
“Rumple!” she called out in slight shock. “Hey! Why are you running?”  
But Rumplestiltskin did not reply to the girl called Red, all he cared about was getting back to Belle in time – before this hunter could find his newest friend – and when he saw horse tracks along his own footsteps in the snow, leading towards his home, the anger in him grew and he knew he had to be quick or Belle would be gone forever.

Belle had slept on for another hour or so, before the light of day had finally brought her consciousness back to life. She had a small smile on her face as she lay on the warm sheepskins, listening to the fire as it cackled in the hearth, her eyes still closed. She got up for a moment, just to check if her undergarments were dry, and as she realized that they were, she put them on again, but she did not put on the rest of her blue dress, finding it much too comfortable underneath the warm blanket, and she quickly returned there to snooze some more.   
When the door opened, she didn’t turn around, but she remained where she was, hugging the pillow underneath her head until she suddenly heard the sound of a whinnying horse outside, the thump of heavy footsteps and the heavy beating of her own heart, as though it knew something was wrong. Her eyes flew open in an instant.  
Rumplestiltskin was a tiny man – and his footsteps had not sounded like that at all when he had left. Finally looking at the man who had entered the room and sitting up in a second, she nearly fainted as she saw that it was Gaston who had entered the small cabin – and not her savior of the night before.  
His eyes were blazing and he had closed the distance between them in an instant, his hand wrapping so tightly around her neck that she could hardly breathe, and all she could do was look into his eyes with terror in hers as she felt how he lifted her from the ground.   
“Your running days are over,” he hissed. “If I must lock you inside our house, I will do just that. Do you have any idea how humiliating it was to explain you were missing again? With every chance you get, you make a fool out of me!”  
Belle narrowed her eyes, unable to speak as he was still squeezing her throat shut, and just as she was about to lose consciousness, he lowered her again, and she fell to her knees, gasping and panting while Gaston took in his surroundings.   
The hut was small and hardly had any furniture at all. There were no more than two tiny stools, and a shabby table in the middle of the room, and it confused Gaston as he saw no bed, but just some straw in the corner of the room.  
“Who lives here?” Gaston barked, his question also a promise to hurt whoever had helped Belle, and the thought that Gaston would not just ruin her life, but that of Rumplestiltskin as well, was too much, and tears streamed down her face.   
“No one,” she replied, hoping he did not know the truth, but he was beside her in an instant, once more his hand around her neck, and though she tried to loosen his grip by forcing her fingers underneath his, it was to no avail.   
“Don’t lie to me,  _Belle_ , I saw the footprints in the snow. Are you cheating on me before we are even married?”   
Hating his tone and what his words implied, Belle tried to shake her head, but Gaston held her firm in place, and she closed her eyes in disgust, trying to hit him, kick him, anything to make him let go of her, but it was like fighting a titan and her feet hardly touched the ground at all – the former knight was way too strong for her as he started to force himself upon her.   
Perhaps if she had not been so terrified, she would have noticed the light in the room change as the door opened, or perhaps she would have heard Rumplestiltskin’s low growl, or seen him sneak up on Gaston from behind, but now it came as a complete surprise to Belle when she was suddenly dropped to the ground, Gaston screaming in terror as he whirled around, with Rumplestiltskin clinging to his back, his legs wrapped around the knight’s waste, while he bit down the knight’s neck and his dark, sharp nails slashed the knight’s face open.   
Belle gasped as she looked at this, unable to believe Rumplestiltskin’s bravery. Gaston was twice his size, but as she looked at her savior, she noticed how dark his eyes were all of a sudden – almost as though he was an animal, and the deep, rumbling sound that came from his throat sounded like he was a wolf, not a man.   
Gaston backed up as hard as he could, pounding his back – with Rumplestiltskin still clinging onto it – into the wall with all his might, but Rumplestiltskin did not let go, biting down Gaston’s neck again until the man fell to his knees, and only when the knight’s shirt was soaked in his own blood, did Rumplestiltskin let go, Gaston’s now lifeless body falling to the floor, only a few feet in front of Belle, who had not been able to move as she had witnessed this strange, horrific scene.   
For a few moments, her eyes were transfixed on Gaston’s body, afraid he would get up again and continue to be the threat he had been to her these past months, but her fear was unnecessary. The body of the man who had called himself her fiancée was already void of life, and his glazed eyes that would not move or blink proved just that.   
As the realization hit her that she was safe from Gaston, she suddenly realized that Gaston was not the only monster in the room. Looking up to Rumplestiltskin – or what remained of him – she gulped as she took in his sight.   
His face looked different – his eyes dark and his jaw more prominent than before, his teeth now fangs that were bared and bloody as he looked at the body in his house. More blood was dripping down his chin, and his large hands that had razor-sharp black nails were trembling slightly.   
As he closed his eyes, Belle witnessed how he seemed to transform back into the man she had met the night before, and she also saw how he seemed paler than before, until he suddenly met her gaze with nothing but fear in his round, dark-brown eyes.   
Before Belle knew how to react, he suddenly ran out of his own house, and Belle got up as well a beat later, stepping over Gaston’s lifeless body as she walked to the doorway, seeing how he had ran into the bushes and hearing how he was now vomiting, apparently disgusted with himself or at least disgusted by the taste of Gaston’s blood in his mouth.   
The former princess wanted to follow him, but realized after one step that she was barefoot, and the coldness of the snow felt like needles in her skin. She was too shaken to call out his name as she stepped back onto the small porch, and she startled when she suddenly heard two other people call out his name – one voice male, the other voice female.   
A young man and a young woman ran towards the house, both rather out of breath, and the tall brunette froze when she saw Belle, her green eyes wide as she took in how little Belle was wearing, and how pale she looked.   
The young man, who seemed to be a huntsman with clothing that was made of animal skins, immediately spotted Rumplestiltskin between the trees and rushed to his side while the girl went over to Belle.   
“Are you alright?” she asked as she carefully approached the princess, putting down a basket on the floor as she put her hand on Belle’s shoulder, and she was glad to see it did not startle Belle. It didn’t seem the princess was in any particular shock. “I’m Red…”  
The brunette sniffed for a moment, the scent of blood everywhere to her, and as she looked over Belle’s shoulder, she saw the body of Gaston in the middle of the small house, and she gulped as she realized they’d need to dispose of that.   
Belle could not say anything, not understanding why Red and her friend had come to this place at this time, and why Red did not make a remark on the presence of a corpse in the living room, not immediately anyway. Was this a regular thing to her?  
“Come, let’s get you dressed,” Red said bravely, ushering Belle inside, but Belle did not immediately follow, not until she was certain that the huntsman was taking care of Rumplestiltskin. It seemed that Rumplestiltskin was still sick, for she could still hear him vomit, and she gulped heavily, not understanding any of the things that had just happened. “Clothes first, and I’ll explain everything,” Red assured Belle, seeing that she was burning up with questions. “I… I take it that the man deserved to die?”  
Belle hesitated for a moment, and though she was not a killer herself, she was not going to choose Gaston’s side now. He had been a horrible monster, and his death was deserved. Gulping her fears and insecurities away, Belle’s face turned to steel, and she nodded firmly. “He was a monster. The world is better off without him.”


	4. WOLF TALK

There was something very eerie about getting dressed in the presence of a corps – especially a corps that belonged to someone who had declared himself her fiancée. Belle could not help but stare at Gaston’s open and lifeless eyes, full of terror for once, as Red tied her blue bodice closed with steady hands.   
“We must dispose of his body,” Red said softly. “Did you know him?”  
Belle nodded. “More than I would have liked to know him. He was not someone whose company I appreciated.”  
That was all Red needed to hear. Belle wasn’t distraught by the loss, and that meant that there was no means to delay the inevitable any longer.   
“We must burn his body,” Red continued in a determined tone. “It’s not like he’s going to turn into a wolf or anything of the sort – he’s dead now, and dead is dead… But it’s dangerous for wolves to have the blood or meat of a man like him.”  
Belle gulped, realizing how the other girl seemed to know a lot about these wolves – and she seemed to know what Belle had seen as well. As Red finished lacing her in, the young girl offered Belle a reassuring smile, taking her hand and gently squeezing it.   
“Is… is Rumplestiltskin going to eat him if we don’t burn him?” Belle asked, her voice much softer than it usually was, but she didn’t want her savior to overhear those words.   
Red chuckled softly at that question. “Not straight away, no. But with the full moon, such a corpse would be something we’re unable to resist.”  
Belle’s eyes grew larger as she noticed Red had said ‘we’, and the girl noticed it.   
“Rumplestiltskin, Graham and I… we’re all wolves, Belle. But you need not fear us. We control it exceptionally well, with the help of our queen.”  
“Queen?” Belle repeated, rather shocked by this revelation, and unable to comprehend it because she simply knew too little about wolves.   
“Maleficent,” Red answered patiently, starting to circle Gaston’s body and trying not to get too distracted by the sight of all the blood. “She’s our Queen, but she’s also a powerful sorceress. When we turned into wolves – all three of us during the same full moon – my Granny took us to Maleficent. She’s very patient with all sorts of creatures and monsters, and she thinks all life is sacred, as long as we do not stand in the way of her power, that is. She put a spell over our land, just for us, so that we wouldn’t turn fully into wolves, and we’d be able to control it better.”  
It was fascinating to hear of such powerful magic, and Belle stayed quiet as she waited for Red to tell her more.   
“We’re still wolves though… We eat raw meat, drink blood, don’t like the taste of vegetables anymore… But we eat beef, goat, sheep, deer… rabbit too… but not human flesh. After all, Maleficent says that we are what we eat!”  
Red chuckled at her own words, and though Belle smiled, she didn’t fully understand it.   
“We eat innocent animals, with good hearts, Belle. It keeps us good as well. If we were to eat this man, who hurt your neck so badly…” Red gently touched Belle’s neck, and Belle hissed as she pulled away, not realizing that it looked as bruised as it felt and that Red really realized the abuse Gaston had put her through. Red gently put her hand on Belle’s shoulder “…we would not become better people ourselves.”  
Suddenly something clicked in Belle’s mouth, and her mouth dropped a little before she blurted out: “That’s why Rumplestiltskin was vomiting?”  
Red nodded gently, and the two girls startled slightly when the door opened and Graham stepped in, smiling warmly at Belle while Rumplestiltskin followed him, and Belle noticed how her savior still wasn’t looking at her, his eyes cast down in shame.   
“We put up some firewood to burn the body,” Graham said softly, carefully looking at Belle, wondering if she was offended, just like Red had been cautious about the topic, but Belle nodded, even moving over to Gaston’s body, willing to help carry him outside. After all, it was her fault – all of this. Had she not come to Rumplestiltskin, he would not have needed to kill Gaston, and they wouldn’t have this body to dispose of. Gaston seemed to weigh a ton as each of them grabbed a limb and carried him outside, leaving him on top of a massive pile of wood that Graham and Rumplestiltskin had gathered.   
Graham soon lit the fire, while Belle avoided gazing at Gaston’s body as it burned up in the flames. She instead looked at the trail of blood in the snow and how it reached all the way into the little house. Guilt overwhelmed her at the thought that she had been the reason Gaston had defiled Rumplestiltskin’s home in that way.  
When Rumplestiltskin shyly looked at her and noticed her tears, he felt horrible that she had seen him like the monster he was. Slowly, he took a few steps closer to Belle while Red and Graham stood on the other side of the fire, their hands entwined as they watched the flames, and Rumplestiltskin hoped that Belle did not mind him talking to her.   
“If… if you want…” he began slowly, miserably even. “You can go with Red and Graham to the village. There’s an inn there. You-you do not need to stay with a m-monster like me. I wouldn’t hold you here against your wish.”  
Her heart ached as she listened to those words, and though she noticed how he kept his distance, she did not keep hers. Her arms were around his neck in mere moments, and she held him tightly in her arms, not willing to let go of him just yet. “You saved me,” she whispered. “Thanks to you, I no longer need to run.” She pulled back a little to look at him, and was amused by the look of surprise in his eyes, causing her to smile again. “You’re not a monster. You’re a wolf. And if I’m still welcome here…” She didn’t dare to continue, afraid that perhaps she wasn’t welcome in his house now – after all: she had brought Gaston to him and that could have cost Rumplestiltskin his life.   
“You-you’re we-welcome here,” Rumplestiltskin said quickly, the words stumbling out of his mouth in an excited stutter, and as he smiled at Belle, she hugged him again. This time, he hugged her back, hoping that she realized he did not blame her for any of the things that had happened.  
Through the fire, Red and Graham looked at Belle and Rumplestiltskin, wondering when it had been the last time they had seen Rumplestiltskin so happy, and when they eventually left the two of them alone an hour later, they were convinced that Belle had no intention of leaving Rumplestiltskin anytime soon.


	5. FIRELIGHT CONFESSIONS

It was clear from the moment they burned Gaston’s body, that Belle and Rumplestiltskin could not care any deeper for one another’s well-being. While Rumplestiltskin tried to make sure Belle was comfortable and able to forget the trauma of Gaston’s abuse, Belle hoped that Rumplestiltskin wasn’t too hard on himself for killing the brute. She understood how he had wished to protect her – and he had succeeded. She was safe now and would have done just about anything Rumplestiltskin had asked of her, but instead, he was the one spoiling her, not wanting her to help him cut the wood logs outside his cabin, or to carry the wood inside.   
He wouldn’t even let her carry the basket that Red had left on the porch for them, and cut the bread for her, even if he no longer ate any bread himself.   
“But… you’re not completely a wolf,” Belle said softly as she watched him cut the bread into thin slices, the sun outside close to setting during these short winter days. “You’re also human – so why don’t you eat bread?”  
Rumplestiltskin smiled, thankful that she was interested in getting to know him, even now she knew that he was as close to a monster as a man could be.   
“I get cramps,” he replied honestly, but with an amused smile on his face. “My stomach craves meat, and only that. Preferably raw meat.”  
Belle pulled up her nose at that, unable to imagine how that could taste nice. Seeing her expression, Rumplestiltskin smiled at her, offering her the bread as she took some cheese to go with it, sitting on the tiny stool by the small table, finding it all very cozy while the fire burned in the hearth.   
Two hours earlier, there had still been a pool of blood on the floor where Gaston had died, but they had cleaned it up, and Rumplestiltskin’s house of terror was slowly becoming a home again, if only because of Belle’s delightful presence. Feeling more at ease with her, his stutter had nearly completely disappeared in the past hours, and it only returned when she asked something completely unexpected, which she tried to avoid.   
“In fact, meat is what keeps me from hunting humans. Around the full moon, I eat more than I would usually do in a full week. The cravings are worst then.”  
“But even while being a wolf, you still drink alcohol?” Belle wondered, pointing to a dark bottle that stood on the table, and she assumed it was a bottle of red wine.   
His cheeks turned red, and she wondered why the stutter returned for a moment as he said: “Tha-that’s no w-wine.”  
Seeing her frown, he replied shyly: “It’s blood… Human blood.”   
Belle frowned, wondering whose blood it was then, and he figured that that was something he needed to explain. Shrugging off his leather jacket, Belle saw the black silk blouse he wore underneath, and as he started raising one of his sleeves to bare his arm to her, Belle noticed the small wounds on the inside of his elbow, and she bent a little closer to watch it.  
“Red, Graham and I give each other blood – twice a month. The meat we have can be of any animal, but we do require human blood in order to feel strong. We can’t have our own blood, it does not work that way, but we can have each other’s blood. It keeps our strength up, even if giving the blood weakens us for a day or so. And it is what keeps us from hurting any humans. The craving for blood is very strong sometimes, and this is what keeps us from attacking other people.”  
Rumplestiltskin took the bottle in his hands and looked at it, not noticing how Belle watched his skin as she studied the moving muscles in his arm.  
“As for alcohol,” he said softly. “I can still drink it – same for water or tea – but it does nothing to sate my thirst for blood. I do drink quite a bit of water though, just because I should not rely on blood all the time, and I need to stay hydrated just like any other man.”  
Thinking over his words and everything she had learned that day, she remarked: “So you drink blood of Red and Graham because they’re good people – but you would not drink blood of Gaston because that would make you bad as well?”  
Rumplestiltskin nodded, glad she seemed to understand it already, and he watched her as she took a few more bites from her bread, seeing how color was returning to her cheeks as well now. She had looked so pale after everything that had happened, but it was good that she was having something to eat now, it gave her new energy and she had needed that.   
“Would you drink my blood?” she wondered. “Or would it be too risky drinking blood of someone you did not know well, not knowing if they were a good or a bad person?”  
As she looked at him, she spotted another one of his soft smiles on his lips, and he replied in a whisper: “There is no doubt in my mind that you are a good person – and that your blood would taste divine…”  
It was a strange compliment, but a compliment none the less, and Belle blushed as she averted her eyes, quite happy to hear that.   
Rumplestiltskin got up to get the bottle of wine he had opened the night before, and this time he poured not one, but two mugs, startling slightly when he offered Belle the mug and felt her fingers on his. She felt so soft that it shocked him, and he was scared of his own attraction to her.   
“Thank you,” she whispered, not noticing how uneasy she had made him for a second, and as he sat on the small stool again he raised his mug, waiting for her to follow his example.  
When she did and their eyes met, there was no doubt that there was something they saw in one another that made the other incredibly happy. It could not be denied from the way their eyes were twinkling, and Belle knew she had never felt this way for anyone.   
“To what shall we toast?” Belle asked shyly, completely at a loss for words for once.  
Rumplestiltskin thought about it for a few moments, before he replied: “To us?”  
Belle liked that suggestion and nodded. “To us,” she repeated. “And to happiness.”

As they brought the mug to their mouths, they did not take their eyes off one another, and somewhere during their staring competition it became a drinking match as well, and they did not stop drinking until the mug was entirely empty. Rumplestiltskin finished his just a second before Belle did, slamming it on the table, and they both laughed, wondering what they had done to find someone that felt so  _right_.   
Rumplestiltskin filled up their mugs again, and gestured towards the fireplace, the darkness now completely taking over outside. As they sat down on the sheepskins, Belle looked around the room once more, remarking: “You don’t seem to have a bed…” All she saw was some hay in the corner of the room, and Rumplestiltskin’s gaze was fixed on that same corner as well.   
“I don’t need one,” he said softly. “I used to have one, before I became a wolf and moved here, but now… sleeping in straw is already good enough for me. My body is stronger than it was before. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to stop that man today…”  
Hearing him talk about his ‘body’, Belle could not help but wonder if he had big muscles then. He seemed to be so tiny that it was hard to imagine, and she did not know if it was something she preferred or not. Remembering herself that she was staring at him, she averted her eyes, continuing the conversation in order to distract her mind.   
“Where did you live before you came here?” she wondered. “What did you do for a living then? And how do you survive now?”  
Rumplestiltskin sighed, not too happy to talk about this, but he politely answered her none the less: “I lived in a neighboring town… I was a spinner and… Well, once I became a wolf, I found that I was unable to sit still long enough to do some decent spinning. Sold my spinning wheel to make some money, and have been struggling to get by ever since – but I get by regardless. At first, I just hunted for my own food, but now, I hunt rabbits and such and then sell them to the widow Lukas. She then sells them in her shop and I get a fair amount of income that way. And also, when it’s not going so well for me, she still gives me meat, so I don’t have to grow hungry. Graham is also a hunter, he taught me a lot about it, and sometimes we hunt larger prey together, like deer. Red sometimes helps as well.”  
Belle smiled warmly as she listened to him as he told her that. It really sounded like they were a pack – a family, even if they weren’t – and she wondered: “Red told me that you all became wolves around the same time, and that the queen Maleficent changed the way this affected you? How did you become wolves in the first place, I wonder? Were you all attacked in the same night or something?”  
She could see his hesitation, the slight way he pulled back from her, but after taking a sip from his mug, he continued: “Thing is, it started fifteen years ago. When she was a child, Red’s parents were murdered by a wolf like us, and she got bitten. But children, when bitten, don’t turn into wolves. Her grandmother, the widow Lukas, was weary though, and always kept a good eye on her, and took her in and raised her as her own. But we all turned when Red became a young woman – she was only twelve at the time of her first bleeding, and that was seven year ago. It was summer, and she had this friend of her she liked to meet even when the widow Lukas forbade it. His name was Peter… Basically, she sneaked out of her own house to see him, but somewhere on her way to him – when darkness fell – she turned into a wolf. A real wolf, not a half-wolf like you saw me. Perhaps smaller than a grown up wolf would be, just like Red herself was not fully grown then, and she found Peter in the forest and… well, killed him, and ate him.”  
Belle gulped, but she did not interrupt, too eager to learn how he had turned into a wolf as well, even if she felt sorry for Red.  
“That same night, I was in the forest as well, for a completely different reason.” He shifted uneasily again, and suddenly just blurted out: “She found me and bit me and I was turned into a wolf. But she didn’t eat me – for two reasons probably. She wasn’t hungry and she didn’t sense fear in me.”  
Belle frowned, not understanding. “Hold up,” she muttered. “What were you doing in the forest in the middle of the night? And why weren’t you afraid?”  
Rumplestiltskin kept quiet for several moments, but perhaps it was the alcohol in his blood that was pushing him to be honest: “My son had died… half a year before that happened and… I felt like I had no reason to live anymore. I was depressed and wanted to die, so when Red found me, I felt more gratitude than anything else, and that’s why she could not kill me.”   
Perhaps it would have felt the same if he would have smacked her head, because it did feel like she was going to black out for a second, taking in all that news. She wasn’t sure what to say, what to ask, for what he had just revealed made her wonder a million things at the same time.   
“You had a child…” she said softly, wondering how he had died, but also wondering if he had been married then, and what had happened to his wife. “What… how did he die?”  
“That’s an even longer story to tell than just how I became a wolf,” he replied softly. “Which do you want to hear first?”  
Belle considered it for a moment, then said: “The wolf story first, please…”  
Nodding, he continued, his complete honesty baffling Belle. It was such a sign of trust that she could not help but hang onto his every word.   
“As she bit me and let me live, I turned into a wolf as well, and we basically ran through the forest together, when we found Graham, who had left his own cabin in the forest to start his hunt. When he saw us, he did try to kill us, shooting arrows at us, but we were too fast for him, and he recognized his defeat, so when we bit him, we did not sense enough fear to deliver a fatal blow, and we drank some of his blood, but let him live. It was just before morning, and he turned into a wolf as well, and then as the first daylight entered the forest, we were turned into our human selves again.” Rumplestiltskin drank another sip from his mug, and Belle did the same, mirroring his movements and waiting eagerly for him to continue. “We were confused and terrified by what had happened. Imagine waking up naked in a forest with two other people you don’t even know, having strange memories of a night of hunting each other, and with no idea what had just happened. We went to Graham’s place first, got some clothes from him, put them on, and headed towards the widow Lukas. By then, Red was already in a state of hysterics, thinking she had killed her best friend Peter that night, and when we arrived in town that was affirmed by her grandmother, who immediately asked us what had happened. She told us about how Red had been bitten as a child, and asked us if we had been bitten by her. We could not say no, and she was the one that suggested to go to Maleficent for help. Her castle is seven hours from here, but we made it there in five, running there to explain our situation to her. She could not change us completely, but she could change the magic in this land – make it so that we don’t turn into wolves completely. It took her a few nights, and we stayed with her for observation, but eventually she returned to the town with us and told the townsmen about us, asking them to treat us with the respect all living creatures deserve before she left again. They haven’t tried killing us, so I guess that she made quite an impression then, but I can’t really say we’re treated with respect. Most don’t want us anywhere near their town, but they know we’re not going anywhere, and that we got Maleficent’s support.”   
“That’s an amazing story,” Belle said softly, really admiring all that he had been through, but there was more she wanted to know. “But what about your son? How…”  
She stopped the moment he raised his hand and turned to her, a small smile on his face.  
“Belle, I understand your eagerness, but… have you considered that I have some questions of my own?”  
She blushed, realizing how little he knew about her.  
“What went on between you and Gaston?” he wondered. “Where do you come from and… and how long will you be staying here?”  
He seemed afraid of the answer to that last question, because he really wanted her to stay forever. But while he knew so little about her he also realized that the chance that she could actually live with him was slim.   
“It’s a long story,” she began with a small smile. “And I’m sorry for not saying anything sooner. I didn’t realize how little you knew about me because… well… in some ways it feels like I’ve known you for so much longer than today.”  
It was a very honest thing to say, and as she looked into his eyes, she saw the warmth that came from his, and she suddenly found him taking her hand. Smiling as she looked at their joined hands, she gently squeezed him, before she continued, wanting him to know everything about her, just as she wanted to know everything about him.   
“I was born in the small kingdom of Navarre.” Seeing his vacant look, she added: “It’s south of Avonlea, which you probably do know. My mother and father were its rulers, and I had a very happy childhood there.”  
“Rulers?” Rumplestiltskin asked as he paled, wondering what that precisely meant. “Are you… are you a princess?”  
She nodded eagerly, but she saw how Rumplestiltskin only paled further, and she could see how he looked around his own little hut, probably thinking about how horrible this place was to live in – especially for a princess.   
Hoping that her story would be able to distract him, she continued: “Ogres have always had it in for our kingdom – and last year they finally broke through our defenses. The first time they came to the castle, my mother died. Then, as our kingdom was falling apart, my father went to fight them on the battlefield, and he also died. Gaston was a knight, and my father had tasked him with protecting me. He helped me escape Navarre, which has now fallen into the hands of ogres completely, and for the first months, he let me grief. Then, he started wooing me, trying to convince me to marry him.” Belle paled, not liking the memories of those moments, but she remained honest with him, knowing that if anyone understood trauma, it had to be Rumplestiltskin: “Eventually, he tried to force himself upon me, on several occasions, and he tried to force me to marry him. I ran away and he chased me… until I ended up here, until today.” She looked relieved, but also still anxious, the memories of Gaston something she despised.   
Rumplestiltskin was still holding her hand, and this time he was the one that squeezed it to show her his compassion. “You said… you said ‘tried to force himself’… So he… he never did?”  
Belle shrugged, finding it all very awkward to talk about, especially with Rumplestiltskin, and she took a deep breath before she said: “First time, we were not alone in the house. I basically screamed long enough until the servants came, and he… he wasn’t able to… to do anything besides take most of my clothes off… Once the servants were near enough, I shouted that I would not do anything until we were married – even if I did not want to marry him, and he knew it because he had already asked me several times by then.” Her hands were starting to shake, but Rumplestiltskin did not let go of her, and she continued quickly, wanting to get it over and done with: “The second time, he made sure there were no servants in the house. He had given them all the evening off, and I  _knew_ what was going to happen, so I was able to prepare for it. He sneaked into my bed at night, tried to force himself upon me, but I managed to tell him a lie to keep him off me that night.”  
“A lie?” Rumplestiltskin asked, wondering what it was that would have convinced such a brute not to force himself upon her.  
“Well, Gaston was very strong, but he was also an idiot. And I knew that he wanted to have sons – not daughters. I basically told him that I had my period first. He did not understand that, so I explained to him that he should only have sex with me that night if he wanted to have a daughter as his firstborn child. Knowing how much he disliked that idea, he did not rape me that night, and I told him that I still wanted to get married before having sex, so he arranged with me to get married after my period – even if that had been a lie in the first place. So as soon as I could, I ran, and he chased me ever since.”  
“How long had you been running?” Rumplestiltskin wondered gently, looking at her with nothing but compassion, finding her incredibly brave for everything she’d been through.   
“About a month,” Belle said softly. “A little more, perhaps… I’ve been running from place to place, hiding wherever I could, but Gaston would always find a track of me – and if he didn’t, he’d ask people if they had seen me, and where I had run. I thought I had shaken him a few times, but as you saw today, I hadn’t. I ran into the snowstorm the other day with the hope he would not find my tracks then, and when I saw you, I had been up and running for more than a day in that cold… I thought I was going to die, until I saw you there…”  
As their eyes met, Rumplestiltskin remembered that moment as well, and he continued: “I was just running that night – too nervous to stay indoors – and when I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful being I had ever seen in my entire life…”  
Belle seemed moved by those words, her lips curling into a shy smile, and he brought his hand to her cheek. “You really are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met… Inside and out,” he whispered, his heart beating in his chest as he considered kissing her, but he would not do such a thing without her consent – not after all she had been through with Gaston. “Tell me I do not deserve you, and I shall not touch you, I promise.”  
His whispers sent a shiver down her spine, and she was mesmerized by the way he looked at her, leaning into his touch. She did not want him to stop touching her, and she actually leaned into his hand even further while he moved it closer to his own face, until their lips were only an inch apart.   
“I do not know if you deserve me,” she whispered in return, being completely honest. “But… I want you to… I want to touch you too…”   
It was hard for her to admit this. It would have been easier to just kiss him straight away, but sometimes she liked doing the hard thing first, and so she figured that these words were necessary.   
“You…” She hesitated, the feeling of his breath on her lips distracting her. “You’re not married anymore?”  
She noticed his small chuckle, and she hated that it made the small distance between them a little greater again, and he shook his head.  
“No,” he replied quickly. “My wife left me ten years ago, when our son was four. She left me for a pirate… Three years later, my son died because she and her pirate lover had made an enemy that wanted to hurt them – and so my son was killed – even while he was innocent.”  
Belle felt horrible for hearing that, and she noticed the tears in his eyes. That wasn’t what she wanted – she didn’t want him to cry – and in an attempt to comfort him, she pressed her own lips to his, something which seemed to surprise him in that moment. He didn’t move for a few moments, too surprised, until he slipped his arms around her and pulled her nearer. As they kissed, Belle started to realize she wasn’t the only one that had been longing for this. He held her so firmly that she could not help but wonder if he was ever going to let her go again, so it came as a surprise when he broke the kiss.   
“Are you sure you want this?” he asked, the tears now gone, but he felt insecure. “I’m a wreck of a man – a wolf without any wealth – and you’re a princess. You deserve so much better.”  
“I don’t agree,” she whispered. “Perhaps it’s not about what I deserve – but about what you deserve… And I think you’ve lived a wonderful life – wolf or not. You’ve tried not to hurt anyone, you loved your son very much, you care for Red and Graham, and you saved me even when you did not know who I was… I think you’re amazing, and I can’t imagine who would deserve me more than you…”  
He was speechless, and he kissed her again, this time just briefly, but just as passionately.   
“But you’re sure?” he asked again, hesitation making it hard for him to continue. “And will you stay with me? I mean… Will you run off? I don’t… I don’t want to get closer to you if you are going to leave me…”  
He looked so insecure that Belle’s heart broke at the sight of those puppy eyes. “I have nowhere else to go,” she whispered. “Let me stay with you – here – in this small home – and we can both be happy, I know it.”  
As she looked at him with a questioning gaze, he nodded. “Yes,” he whispered. “Yes, stay…”  
They kissed again, both breaking the kiss when they noticed their lips were tugging up as they were smiling, and as they looked at one another they started laughing.   
Rumplestiltskin was the first whose smile disappeared as his gaze of longing returned, and instead of kissing her lips, he started kissing her neck, but he noticed when she tensed up. Afraid he had done something horribly wrong, it came as a slight relief to him when she said: “It hurts – from what Gaston did today…”  
He still thought he was an idiot. Even in the faint light of the fire, he could see the bruises.   
“I’m so sorry, Belle,” he said gently, cupping her cheek again. “I must try and control myself then. I would touch you all over, you know… You’re so beautiful… You spark a fire in me I thought I had lost a long time ago…”  
He was truly irresistible to Belle. Everything about him pulled her in – his lips, his nose, his eyes, his wonderful voice and delightful scent – everything about him made her want to spread her legs and invite him in – not to mention that she could still remember the way his hands had travelled across her body the night before. It had been one of the best feelings in her entire life, and it had made her feel alive again. She wanted to experience it once more.   
“Then touch me,” she urged him in a whisper, almost afraid to say it. “I want to feel your hands on me again…”  
He suddenly froze a bit, looking at her with wonder in his eyes, and Belle immediately knew why he hesitated. The word ‘again’ had given her away – or perhaps it had been the longing in her tone.  
“I… I felt you… yesterday,” she admitted. “When you touched me… At first… I feared you would do something horrible, but then… you didn’t and… I enjoyed it.”  
It was a tough confession to make, and she could see how his cheeks had turned red – just like hers.   
“You… you were irresistible,” he confessed – his voice a little hoarse from emotion and anticipation.   
Belle started unbuttoning his shirt, her cheeks pink, but her mind made up. He soon joined her in undoing the laces of her bodice, and their lips met each other while they were still in the middle of undressing each other.   
Her bodice flew to the side first, his shirt was next, then her blouse. As he pulled off both of her skirts at the same time, she climbed on his lap, not minding if his pants weren’t off straight away, and he did not seem to find it more urgent than she did. His warm hands wrapped themselves around her body, touching her back, sides, buttocks, thighs and finally breasts. Belle moaned softly as she enjoyed the contact of his warm hands with her cold nipples, and he gently lay her down on the sheepskins, hovering over her to kiss her breasts, licking her nipples and scraping his teeth along the tender skin.   
Belle tensed up a little at the feeling of his teeth, and looked down as she asked: “If… if you cause me to bleed, will I turn into a wolf?”  
He quickly shook his head, assuring her: “No – that’s not impossible unless I am a wolf – but when I’m human, you’re safe.”  
She let out a relieved sigh, and lay back down, enjoying everything he was doing, and she especially enjoyed the low purring in his throat, and the way he held onto her hips.   
Looking at him, she realized that he wasn’t that muscled – but he was strong and lean – and she found it beautiful – feeling especially mesmerized by his arms, and she let her hands run from his shoulders to his elbows, the soft feeling of his skin addicting to her.   
When Rumplestiltskin suddenly paused, Belle noticed this immediately, and when he started sniffing, she felt nervous. What was he smelling? Did she smell that unpleasantly? She hadn’t bathed in a while, but would she really stink that much that he would not be able to continue? She felt her cheeks burning up in shame.   
“You’re bleeding… I smell blood,” he suddenly muttered, and they were both confused for a moment until Belle realized what he was referring to. Incredibly ashamed of herself, she crawled out from underneath him, getting up to run to her cape, not minding that he looked at her while she was naked.  
“What are you doing?” he muttered, the disappointment clear from his tone, though he also tried to sound as patient as possible.   
Opening an inside pocket in her cape, Belle pulled out a small pair of pants as well as some ripped linen bandages, and Rumplestiltskin knew what she wanted to do. He got up in an instant and stood beside her even quicker than that, gently taking her hands in his, and this stopped her long enough for him to see the tears in her eyes.   
“Hey,” he said softly. “No crying over this. It’s not your first time, is it?”  
She shook her head, smiling softly. “No, that was many years ago… I just can’t believe I didn’t realize it was time to get it again…”  
“Then… No tears, no need for shame, alright?”  
Though she hesitated, she eventually nodded.   
Now it was Rumplestiltskin who became a little emotional, and he licked his lips nervously, unable to stop smelling her blood even if he wanted to. “Belle, I eh… May I…” There was no way to ask it subtly – at least none that he could think of, and he just blurted out: “Let me taste it, please… I… I want to know what you taste like… And… and the idea that you’re bleeding and I can’t have it is… well… very disturbing to me, to be honest…”  
Belle gulped as she looked at him with large eyes, completely paralyzed for a moment as she tried to process what he wanted to do.   
His next words were the ones that truly intrigued her though, and she could not keep her eyes off his as he said: “I promise I will make it worth your while. I’ll make you come as much as you like, as long as you like…” Hoping he could win her over, he promised: “I’ll be your willing slave, do everything you ask of me if you allow me this…” He could see her hesitation, and added: “Give me two minutes to convince you – that’s all I ask. Two minutes – and if you really dislike it, I won’t ever ask it again.”   
She couldn’t believe she was actually falling for this, but she completely was, and she weakly asked: “What would you have me do?”  
“I’d have you enjoy yourself,” he promised her in a whisper, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to her lips, and she lifted her chin to make it easier on him. She was tiny – especially on her bare feet – and though he wasn’t particularly tall, he still had to bend through his knees a little to meet her lips.   
As they stood there for a little while, simply kissing one another with nothing but sweet things on their mind, Rumplestiltskin eventually broke the kiss, only to scoop her up in his arms, and they shared a loving gaze as he carried her back to the sheepskins in front of the fire.   
“You’re not cold, are you, milady?” he asked her, laying her down and covering her body with his, and she quickly shook her head.   
“No,” she replied quietly. “Not when I’m with you…”  
He kissed her lips, her cheek, her jaw, then moved lower. He made sure not to kiss her neck – not tonight – not while she was still bruised – and gently kissed her breasts, noticing how she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, but at the same time a little wary of what was coming.   
As he moved lower and lower and eventually positioned himself between her legs, gently pushing them apart, the scent of blood met him once more. He would have never been able to smell it as strongly before he had become a wolf, and he would have never enjoyed it in the way he did now, but he could not resist smiling. The thought of tasting her blood wasn’t only sexual, it was comforting and loving as well. Not only was it a sign of her trust in him, but it was so caring of her to allow it – like a wolf mother feeding her cubs – and he could only respect and love her for what she let him do.   
Kissing the inside of her thigh, he heard Belle chuckle softly, the feeling tickling her. As he moved his lips higher up with each kiss, he realized she was starting to tense up and – realizing it would not get better unless he showed her what he had meant when he had promised her pleasure, he gently kissed her folds a few times, the scent of blood now so strong that he could not stop the low rumbling noise in his throat – a soft groan of desire. He did not realize how the vibrations spread over to her sensitive bit until he licked her and she gasped, arching her back a little.  
He moaned a little louder as the first taste of blood met his tongue and he reminded himself that he had promised the lady pleasure, and he could not just sit here and indulge himself only. Burying his face between her legs, he dipped his tongue into her folds again, letting it stroke between her lips, over and over again, until he could hear her soft pants, and he noticed the slight trembling of her legs.  
She wasn’t stopping him though, and so he carefully continued, his hunger for her blood driving his tongue towards her entrance, when he realized that her period had hardly started at all. The little blood he licked away tasted divine, just as he had thought it would, but it was so little, gone in no more than two licks. Perhaps he should have stalled a bit more before he began. He really had picked up the scent the moment a single drop had slid down between those soft lips.   
Torn between hunger and lust, he decided to give in to the latter. He wasn’t experienced when it came to this, but that did not mean he wasn’t going to try to have Belle scream out his name in delight. Focusing on the area around her sensitive nub, he started circling his tongue there, his lips not touching her skin just yet, not until she whimpered softly, enjoying what he was doing more than she had expected she would.   
As he pressed his lips to her skin, she inhaled sharply, rising a little and looking down at him, dizzy from all this pleasure – even if she wasn’t close to coming yet.   
He noticed his gaze was on her and looked up at her, a small smile on his lips as he carefully asked: “May I continue, milady?”   
He had expected a careful reply, not the “Gods, yes!” that she moaned as she lay down again, adding: “It feels amazing, Rumple…”  
He chuckled as he swirled his tongue from her clit down to her entrance, the sound of her soft moans only encouraging him to continue. His hands ghosted over the insides of her thighs, until he wrapped them around her waist and pulled her a little closer to him, his eyes closed as he prodded her entrance with his tongue. Another drip of blood greeted him and Rumplestiltskin growled in pleasure, wondering how much more blood was awaiting him if he kept this up.   
For minutes he continued – alternating between flicking around her clitoris and prodding her entrance – and it seemed like she grew hotter and wetter for him each moment. Not only was his own arousal throbbing against his leather pants thanks to the hunger he felt for her, but it seemed like the wetness wasn’t just blood – her slickness tasted of lust and desire – and just the thought that this beautiful young woman felt this way for him was enough to make his balls tighten.   
The thought of penetrating her soon came to his mind, but he realized she was still a virgin and not only that – but this probably wasn’t the way she wanted to experience her first time. What was also important to him, was that he preferred for his mouth to be the recipient of all that delicious blood, not any other part of his body that he could not lick off himself.   
As he gently shifted beneath her, he gave a few more kisses, before he finally let a finger trail next to her lips as well, circling her entrance as he beheld her for a few seconds, noticing how clean her dark pink flesh looked after he had spent so long licking her. He slowly brought his finger inside of her, no deeper than an inch, and as he noticed how tight she felt around him, he reminded himself not to get too carried away. Pushing her for sex now would likely hurt her too much – and besides: they had all the time in the world.   
Not retreating his finger from inside of her, he brought his tongue to her clit again, teasing her as carefully as he could, even though his own thoughts were hazy from desire. Belle responded by arching her hips in such a way that his finger only entered her deeper, and edged on by her needy moans, he started moving it inside of her, caressing her inner walls with gentle strokes, while his tongue flicked from side to side against her clit. He built up the speed a little, the sound of her desperate breathing telling him that she wanted release, but he wanted to make it worth her while.  
Finally retreating his finger from inside of her, he was delighted to find it covered in her blood as well as the white fluids that betrayed her arousal. As he licked his own finger, unable to hide how happy this made him, Belle looked down at him, suddenly laughing.   
“You’re having fun, aren’t you?”  
Nodding, he pressed a few more kisses to her inner thighs, and she whimpered once more.   
“I hope you’re having fun too?” he asked her, his hot breath on her skin only exciting her further.   
“Yes,” she whispered, her face a little red from all the excitement. “You certainly know how to tease a lady…”  
He bared his teeth as he smiled at that remark, before he put his tongue against her clitoris again, flicking it from side to side while he kept her gaze fixed on his.   
Belle had never imagined how terribly excited a man’s gaze could make her. She had never thought it was possible to get so hot by nothing but an expression, but he was turning her on like no ever man had ever done before. As he pushed his finger inside of her again, carefully watching her expression, she bit her lip in lust, the sight of her cheeky expression causing his lust for her to grow as well.   
They did not take their eyes off one another for a few minutes, until Rumplestiltskin started to speed up the flicking of his tongue again, curling his finger inside of her, over and over until she licked her lips, then softly started to moan, closing her eyes as she realized he was bringing her very close to the edge.   
Though he had enjoyed her eye contact very much, he now wanted to make her come, and when he carefully entered her with two fingers, she moaned even louder - the pleasure it brought her clear from her tone. Stroking her inner walls with firmer movements and not stopping his licks, he suddenly noticed how she held her breath before he could hear her moan loudly and felt her inner walls clench around him.   
“Rumple!” she whimpered, her eyes closed as she felt the pleasure wash over her, and he stopped his licks, remembering that women could be very sensitive after an orgasm. He gently massaged her inner walls with his fingertips before he finally pulled them out, allowing himself to lick his fingers clean as his reward for making her come like this.   
Belle was completely spent as she rested in the warm sheepskins, her legs still open as Rumplestiltskin moved to her side and crawled higher to caress her face, realizing how hot her cheeks were as he touched them.   
As Belle opened her eyes again to look at him, she looked like the happiest woman in the entire Enchanted Forest, and he noticed how his pride swelled inside of him. “That was amazing,” she whispered, looking at him with nothing but love in her eyes, but when he leaned forward to kiss her, Belle’s eyes widened and she quickly put her finger before his lips, stopping him. “Though I have no desire to taste my own blood,” she added a little sheepishly. “Perhaps wash your face and drink a bit of wine before we continue the kissing?” she suggested.  
Grinning, and not at all insulted or anything of the sort, Rumplestiltskin rolled away and moved towards the table where he held a bowl of water.   
As Belle looked at him from the side, she could not help but notice how tight his pants looked – and how incredibly sexy she found him to be as he bent over to wash his face, his wet hands looking all the sexier to her as he returned without drying them off. He took his mug of wine and took a few sips before he bent down in front of Belle, crawling over her until he was covering her, but not leaning on her, grinning proudly.   
Belle was close to swooning, and he seemed to realize it all too well. In this moment he looked like a smug little bastard, but she did not mind at all. Still, Belle realized she needed to put on some small pants before she’d cover his sheepskins with her blood, and she coughed nervously.   
“I should put on some protection,” she said softly, and Rumplestiltskin licked his lips.   
“You know…” he whispered. “If you like me to go again…” He bit his lip suggestively, and Belle felt her heart skip several beats. Gods, she wanted him to make her whimper in pleasure again, she really did, but she also didn’t know if it was fair on him.  
“What about you…” she reminded herself and him, looking down at his pants and seeing how his bulge looked pretty massive in his leather trousers.   
He shrugged it off. “My body is eager for more,” he admitted. “But I do not wish to rush you, Belle. I have no intention of having intercourse with you tonight, and I fear your body would not be completely ready for it yet. But if you let me please you again for the next few days, I will make you as ready for it as I can, and then, when we do it, it will not be painful for you.”  
Just the thought that it was possible to have intercourse without pain was rather new to Belle – especially for a girl’s first time, it was something she had never imagined before. Gulping a little nervously, she nodded, trusting him with her body.   
When he finally kissed her, she only tasted the wine, and in her eagerness to show her attraction for him, she bit his lip. He pulled back in slight surprise, but he was not hurt – it wasn’t like he was bleeding. Grinning, he bared his teeth, a desire to bite back welling up in him, but he kept it under control and simply kissed her again, before she pushed him away again.   
“I need to put on those pants,” she insisted, and Rumplestiltskin chuckled.   
“You know, I can smell when you bleed,” he reminded her, and she laughed softly.   
“I’d find any other man who’d say that a little creepy,” she admitted, and he raised his eyebrow with an intrigued expression.   
“And what do you find me then?” he asked as he watched her put on those small pants, putting some bandages in them to prevent more accidents.   
“I find you surprisingly attractive, and a bit smugger than I thought you were last night.”  
He laughed at that remark and welcomed her in his arms as she sat down in his lap. He kissed her lips, her jaw, her neck, only remembering how painful it was when she let out a brief yelp.   
Immediately pulling back, he frowned, a little frustrated with himself. “I’m sorry – I completely forgot. It’s just… You are so beautiful and I wish to bestow kisses upon every part of your body.” He looked from her face to her neck, to her shoulders and wonderfully soft breasts, his mouth watering from the sight alone. Leaning down, he licked her nipples, causing her to smile widely. Even if the feeling was wonderful, it wasn’t one that made her completely wild with passion, and she just loved watching him as he enjoyed himself. It was a good way to repay him for everything he had done for her. She would have offered him her entire body had he asked for it, but it was even better that he was content with what he got tonight.   
After he was done licking her nipples, he spent a great deal of time massaging her breasts, and he loved seeing how Belle relaxed, her eyes closed in pleasure as he kissed her shoulders.   
“You are so amazing,” he whispered as he looked at her face, so in awe of all that she was, and when she opened her eyes to look at him, he smiled shyly. “I can’t help but love you for your kindness and passion – even if I don’t know you all that well.”  
Belle gulped, even if she was honored by his words, and she licked her lips as she looked at him. “And I can’t help but love you for your patience and understanding. You’re unlike any man I’ve ever met.”  
They both knew how silly it was to speak of love to someone they had only just met, but the feeling was there, for the both of them, and when they looked into each other’s eyes it seemed as though they had known each other for many lifetimes, not just for one day.   
Where their previous kisses had proven their attraction to one another, they leaned into each other once more, but this time a little gentler, a little shyer, and with even more affection in their eyes. Rumplestiltskin hugged his arms around Belle – not to claim her – but to make her feel safe – and Belle in return touched his cheek and back – her fingers tender and caring, not trying to excite him in particular, but to show him what her heart felt for him.   
He enjoyed her gentle caresses, especially when she suddenly put her hand in his hair. He leaned into it and closed his eyes, and Belle was surprised to hear him purr when she gently scratched his scalp.   
Realizing how he was behaving like an animal, Rumplestiltskin gulped and his eyes flew open, but his Belle looked at him with nothing but understanding, not stopping her gentle scratching until he relaxed once more under her touch.   
They spent another hour like that, Belle in his lap, gently touching one another and sharing sweet kisses before they lay down, Belle in front of Rumplestiltskin, both facing the fire, and as she could hear how Rumplestiltskin was sniffing up her scent again, she smiled.   
“Smelling a lot of blood?” she asked softly, and he chuckled.  
“Yes,” he whispered in her ear. “A little bit, at least… Can’t wait to taste you again…” His mouth watered at the thought alone, and Belle laughed softly.   
“Hadn’t thought I’d ever say this,” she admitted. “But I can’t wait either… It felt good.”  
“Want me to go again now?” he asked carefully, not sure if he understood how long she wanted to wait.  
Chuckling once more, Belle replied solemnly: “In the morning, when you’re awake…”  
He hummed, very pleased with that idea. “I look forward to it… and my dreams will be very sweet, I’m sure of that.”  
He gently kissed her cheek, and Belle leaned back into his arms, his arms wrapped tightly around her naked form, pulling the blanket up a bit higher so she wouldn’t get cold.  
“Sleep well, Belle,” he whispered, and he nuzzled her hair with a content smile on his face as she replied: “Sleep well, my sweet Rumple.”


	6. PROMISES OF PLEASURE

Rumplestiltskin woke not from the cold, or the first light of day, or the sound of the wind, or the gentle moving of the lady in his arms. He woke from the smell of blood, and he hummed to himself as he opened his eyes and saw Belle in his arms, still sleeping, her lips so relaxed and kissable that he could not resist them. After wetting his own lips, he pressed a sweet kiss to hers, a soft moan – hardly audible at all – escaping her throat.  
She stirred pleasantly as he left a trail of kisses from her collarbone to her bellybutton, and he could hear her soft chuckling until he gently pulled her pants down, wasting no time in spreading her legs and licking her clean, the sound of her soft moans betraying how she enjoyed it more than she would admit, and he spent many minutes feasting on the taste of her blood, until there was none left and he brought her to her release, pleased when he heard her cry out in pleasure.   
He got up to clean up himself, then started boiling some water so she could clean her bandages. But the night had left him hungry for flesh – actual flesh he could sink his teeth in – and he left her alone to head into town. The running made his blood pump faster, and he realized how each of his thoughts was related to his beautiful Belle, until he heard a twig snap and realized there was something for him to hunt in the forest.   
It took him half an hour to hunt a small rabbit, and he proudly delivered it to the widow Lukas, who paid him more for it than it was worth, but it was a fact that Rumplestiltskin often brought her things without charging for it, and the widow had heard from Red that the lady Belle was staying with Rumplestiltskin.   
Taking a bag of food from the widow, with plenty of food in it for Belle as well, he slowly made his way back.  
As he walked along the marketplace, he noticed how cozy everyone was talking together, and while that had often reminded him of his loneliness, it didn’t today. In the snow, it was strange to see a cart with beautiful flowers, and as he looked at a beautiful red rose, he knew he had to get it for his Belle.   
After paying a few silver coins, he was the proud owner of said red rose and – putting the rose between his lips – he ran back home, looking elated when he entered his cabin again, finding Belle fully dressed in front of the fire, warming her hands and smiling pleasantly as she saw him.   
The butterflies in her stomach made it difficult to think straight, but feeling drawn to him, she made her way over to him, only to be offered a beautiful red rose, and she gasped softly.   
“Is this for me?” she asked softly, taking the rose from his fingers and sniffing it, closing her eyes for a moment.   
“For my love,” Rumplestiltskin whispered softly, leaning closer to her and she willingly gave him a sweet kiss.   
“Now I have nothing to give you,” she pouted, but Rumplestiltskin immediately stopped her from continuing, putting his finger on her lips.   
“You have given me so much already,” he insisted. “You let me have your blood – I don’t know anyone else in the world who’d offer me such a thing.”   
Belle blushed, still holding the rose in her hands, and Rumplestiltskin swore that her lips were just as red as the petals, and all the more alluring to behold.   
“But you bring me great pleasure,” she admitted shyly. “In return for the blood, that is.”  
It was pure agony to hear her say such things. She didn’t realize how rare and amazing she was – just like that red rose in the middle of winter. She was one-of-a-kind, and she hardly seemed to realize it. Most women would have smacked him in the face for even proposing what he had done, and she had willfully endured it – twice!  
“It would be a crime to keep a lady like you from pleasure,” Rumplestiltskin whispered playfully, and as Belle chuckled, he realized he really had stolen a part of her heart. Pulling her close, he kissed her cheek, then her jaw and her neck, pausing for a moment as he realized she wasn’t yelping.   
“Is the pain gone now?” he wondered, glad to see her nod, and he spent a few more seconds leaving sweet kisses in her neck, her sweet whimpers turning him on again. The scent of blood once more became hard to resist, but he doubted she would let him do it again – he’d only been gone for a few hours after all, and they had just gotten washed and clothed.   
She noticed his irregular breathing and the way his chest heaved up and down while he kissed her, betraying his need for her, and she gently pushed his face from her neck so she could at least look at him.   
“Again?” she asked, a little surprised as she recognized his look of desire, and he nodded with a bit of shame on his face, but Belle smiled in good humor, starting to gather the layers of her dress, simply standing in front of him as she did so.   
“Go ahead then,” she encouraged him. “But no need to make me come, just… just feed yourself…”   
Unable to believe his luck, but not foolish enough to waste his time questioning it, he dropped to his knees and pulled down her pants, trying to lick away the few drops of blood she had gained that morning. It was difficult though – especially with her standing, since he could hardly reach her entrance, but when he lifted one leg of her and encouraged her to rest that particular leg on his own knee, he was able to reach it much better again.   
Even though she had asked him not to pleasure her, he didn’t think that would be a fair deal, and he was soon circling her clit again with his tongue, her gasps betraying how she had not expected him to go there.   
“Rumple,” she muttered, sounding a bit ashamed now. “Don’t… Ah!” She startled a little as he entered her with one finger, and she soon lost all resolve to hold onto her own dress, and it simply fell over him while he hid underneath her skirt, lapping at her with shameless glee. He was going to make her come again, so he promised himself, and he did not stop, not even when she muttered her dress might get dirty – but he would not let that happen. Not a speck of blood would be met by anything else but his tongue, and she was soon begging him to let her at least sit down – for she was certain her legs would give out underneath her when he made her come.   
For a brief moment, he gave her the chance to sit down on his small stool while her back leaned against the table, and she put her legs over his shoulders as he continued, soon making her see stars and feeling a shortage of breath that had nothing to do with how tight her bodice was.   
Looking down, she saw Rumplestiltskin lick his fingers, smiling as he looked at her, the very image of a ridiculously happy man – and she chuckled, amused by him.   
“Was there any sense in getting dressed today?” she wondered, and he shot her a guilty smile.

“None at all, my lady,” he replied teasingly, and his wink made her giggle, before she took another deep breath, steadying herself against the table once more.   
“Lunch?” Rumplestiltskin suggested, getting up from his knees again, and he clapped his hands together happily, relieved that even this third time had been a success, and that she did not seem to be growing tired of him just yet. It was all very promising indeed…  
Several days went by in which Rumplestiltskin sated his own thirst for blood with Belle’s, and each time he brought her to her promised release. To Belle, it was a welcome change from the life she’d led before. While she had spent all her life with her nose in a book, it was nice to finally spend it with someone else’s nose in her… well – _you know_.  
She also came to realize how much energy Rumplestiltskin had. She couldn’t imagine anyone else running into town each single morning as fast as he did, and as the snow was melting away again, she even joined him on his trip one day. But that morning, she also noticed how slow he thought her to walk, seeming a bit impatient, even though he never said a word and tried not to run. She also noticed how he picked up all the sounds around him. She’d see his head turn, and the next moment he’d tell her what animal he had heard half a mile away. Sometimes he contemplated chasing the animal, but when he looked at Belle, he did not want to leave her side, and so he stayed close to her, even though Belle saw the longing in his eyes – the longing for catching prey.  
“Go ahead,” she encouraged him as he told her he had heard a rabbit, and the next moment he had already left her side, running with such a speed that Belle could only smile. She waited by a tree for several moments, pacing by its side to keep herself warm, and when he returned a quarter of an hour later, there was a proud twinkle in his eye as he held the dead rabbit in his hands. She also saw the blood dripping down his chin, and she gulped for a moment, her gaze betraying how she found it not so appetizing.   
Recognizing the look of disgust, Rumplestiltskin gulped, feeling horrible that she had seen that, but perhaps it was better that way.   
“I’m… I’m not a… a very attractive p-partner to have,” he said softly, his stutter returning to him in this moment where he felt like he had lost his beauty forever.  
But Belle could not stand to see the heartache in his eyes, and taking her handkerchief out of the inside pocket of her cloak, she walked up to him and wiped the blood from his chin, cleaning him up so he looked presentable again. He was moved by her gentle display of affection, and held his breath as she spoke to him.   
“I think you still are,” she replied softly. “Perhaps… perhaps it’s just an acquired taste…”  
She gave him a gentle kiss, the taste of animal blood a bit strange to the princess’s tongue, but it didn’t repulse her in the way she had expected.

“You-you know…” he began, the nerves only increasing his stutter. “Y-you don’t need t-to stay with me.”   
Though it was brave of him to say those words, Belle could see how afraid he was that she would actually leave him, and his expression tugged at her heart strings and made it harder for her to breathe.  
“I won’t leave you,” she said softly. “I love you now, and I’m not leaving you.”  
Grateful tears came to his eyes as she said that, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, gently pinching her shoulder.   
“I love you too,” he replied, taking her hand as he led her through the forest. “Now come, it’s time for you to see the town.”  
The princess really enjoyed their visit to the town. It was nice to meet the widow Lukas and to see Red and Graham again. Rumplestiltskin had to give blood to his two fellow wolves, and Belle was intrigued as she watched how Red’s Granny worked needles and bottles to get enough together.   
Rumplestiltskin was a little bit more tired as they strolled to the streets next, but he still told Belle a lot about the shops and townspeople, and she eagerly listened to everything he said. As they passed by a bookstore, Belle wanted to go in, but she was sad to see it was closed and admitted to Rumplestiltskin that she really loved books.   
Once they were back home, he opened the bottle of blood he had gotten earlier that week, the blood giving him some of his old spark back as he sat in front of the fireplace to drink it, Belle soon joining him after she had closed the curtains and taken off her blue skirt and bodice, wearing nothing but her undergarments. It was already dark outside, and Belle snuggled up close to Rumplestiltskin, wrapping her arms around his waist as she looked into the fire. She had noticed that her bleeding had stopped earlier that day, and it also seemed that Rumplestiltskin wasn’t as interested in her as he had been the nights before, just gently stroking her arm and looking into the fire.   
She wasn’t sure if he was different because he had given all that blood – or because she was no longer bleeding – but that did not mean that she wasn’t insecure about it. What if he simply wasn’t attracted to her unless she was on her period? What then? Would he even still want her around then? Had they been much too quick to proclaim their love for one another?   
Hearing Rumplestiltskin yawn, she soon joined him in his arms as they lay down, and she was once more a little disappointed when he fell asleep without as much as a goodnight kiss. Then again, he had just drank blood – perhaps that was the reason he did not want so much as to peck her.   
Insecurities overwhelmed Belle and she lay still besides him for hours, just looking at him, finding him so incredibly beautiful in the faint light of the fireplace, despite his age and nature, and she wondered what she would do if he would have lost all interest in her.  
Though the night was bad, the morning was even worse, realizing that Rumplestiltskin was already gone. She could remember his enthusiasm as he had brought her to her release the morning before, and it was simply a cruel thought to think his attraction had only come from some sort of animal lust he did not experience any other week of the month.   
When the door opened, she sat dressed in front of the fire, her head not turning towards him for once as she feared he would see her insecurities and laugh at her, call her foolish for all those hopes she’d held so high the past days.   
“Good morning, my love,” he greeted her though, and as she heard the warmth in his tone, she turned her head to see he was carrying books – and had a big grin on his face.   
Belle gulped as she got up from the small stool, carefully and insecurely making her way to the table, wondering why he had books with him this morning, as well as a bag of fresh meat, and Belle bit her lip, afraid to ask.   
“What’s wrong?” he asked, startling a little as he noticed her insecure gaze. She hadn’t looked that way before – like she was afraid of something – of him, perhaps?   
He respectfully kept his distance as he put the books down on the table, looking at her with the same fear she felt for him casting her out.   
Seeing how she bit her lip and was too nervous to say something, he explained: “I… I got these books from the bookstore for you… I… I thought it would be nice if you could read something – whenever you’d want to.”   
What he said was so different than what she had feared, and she could not help but cry, both from relief and from shame, finding herself a despicable being for thinking for a moment that he did not care about her at all.   
“Hey, hey, stop crying,” he said as he rushed over to her, wrapping his arms around her, but still trying to look into her eyes. “Belle, my love, what’s wrong?”  
Hearing him call her ‘love’ only caused her to cry louder, and she wrapped her arms around him as she held him tight, sniffing and sobbing against his coat.   
“I thought you no longer cared for me,” she admitted honestly, once more sniffing her nose, and he stroked her hair in an attempt to soothe her.  
“Why would you think that, sweetheart? I love you so much – I would do anything for you!”   
Rumplestiltskin looked startled, afraid he was going to lose her, and Belle felt horrible for making him panic like that.   
“I… I thought you were no longer interested in me. Because… because you did not give me a kiss goodnight… or… or this morning…”  
Rumplestiltskin gulped, realizing now that he had not kissed her since the morning before. To think she would cry and panic about that, was absurd, but he felt sorry for her none the less. Belle was a young woman, but in some ways she was like a child – inexperienced and completely new to the concept of a relationship, especially a sexual one.   
“I’m so sorry, my love,” he apologized, stroking her hair over and over again. “I was so drained last night that I completely forgot. And this morning I wanted to make it up to you, that’s why I left to head into town. But I do love you…” He smiled gently as he looked at her, pressing a quick and playful peck to her lips, and as he pulled back he noticed that her lips were curling up again, her beautiful smile returning to her at his words.   
“So… so you’re still attracted to me?” she asked, gulping a little nervously, though there was a bit of hope in her eyes once more.   
“Of course I am!” he said as he took her hands, squeezing them. “You are the most beautiful, amazing woman I have ever met. Ask me anything and I’ll do it for you, Belle. I wish to be everything you want me to be.”  
He went down on both of his knees, placing sweet kisses on her hands as he looked up at her, and Belle giggled at all this attention, tears of joy streaming down her face.   
“I feel like such an idiot,” she admitted. “I honestly thought you were no longer interested in me because… well… you didn’t please me yesterday evening – or this morning.”   
Rumplestiltskin chuckled, starting to lift her skirt to peak underneath it. “Ah, would you like me to, milady?”  
Belle put her hand on her skirt, yanking it out of Rumple’s fingers with a smile on her face. “Not right now,” she replied teasingly, her eyes darting to the staple of books on the table. “Books first.”  
Rumplestiltskin got back up again, pulling her against him the moment she wanted to head to the books, playfully holding her captive against him. “May I request a thank-you-kiss,” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine.   
Leaning against him, she realized how much she loved the feeling of his body against hers, and she did not reply immediately, nor did she look for separation. She remained still for a little while, before she turned around and gave him such a passionate kiss that he backed into the table with a slight startle, surrendering to her lips and tongue with a low grumble in his throat.   
He was soon letting his hands roam all over her body – not minding that she was clothed. He knew her body well enough to know what deliciously soft skin lay underneath those layers of fabric. Just the thought made him grow hard, and as he moaned against her mouth, she suddenly pulled back, biting her lip playfully.   
“Books now,” she said, and he wondered for a moment if she knew how bothered she was leaving him – also wondering if she was doing it on purpose.   
If so, that only made him love her more.   
As she turned towards the books and started browsing through them, Rumplestiltskin was right behind her, touching her sides, placing kisses in her neck and inhaling her scent, indulging himself while she was indulging herself in the gifts he had brought her.   
“They weren’t too expensive, I hope?” she said softly, wondering how much they had cost, but Rumplestiltskin just muttered: “Worth every penny,” as he put his hands over her breasts, gently squeezing them.   
Belle bit her lip as he stood behind her, touching her so passionately. Did she truly want to read books now? No, of course not, she knew she wanted to give into her desires for him. But, she also knew how he liked a good chase, and so she leaned her bum into his crotch, his hiss as she pressed against him telling her how excited he was, and what a good idea it was to tease him in this way.  
She opened a book and pretended to be reading from it, while all her attention was instead on his hands as he grabbed onto her hips, pulling her with even more force against his crotch, moaning softly. Belle wondered if she was feeling his member through all those layers of clothes, pushing into her bum, and she licked her lips as she turned another page, noticing how his hands were soon on her stomach again, undoing the laces of her bodice, and though she did not struggle, she did not really cooperate that much either, leaving him to do all the work, her eyes closed in pleasure as his hands wormed their way under her skirt and he started massaging her breasts.   
She hummed in pleasure – and that was enough to betray to Rumplestiltskin that she hadn’t been reading after all. He pulled down her two skirts faster than she could close the book, and as she turned around, he was quick to pull her blouse over her head as well, throwing it on a heap with the rest of her clothes while she stood naked before him.  
He took a firm hold of her bum and lifted her up, placing her on the table while her hands shrugged off his leather coat. As it fell on the floor she quickly unbuttoned his shirt, trying not to get too distracted by the hot kisses he was leaving in her neck.   
Once he was shirtless, he lifted her up again, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her towards the fire, only hesitating for a small moment as he muttered: “Wish I had a proper bed for you – or at least something more comfortable than all these sheepskins.”  
His regret was distracting him from his passion, and Belle gave him a sweet kiss before she said: “You seem to forget I’ve slept in far worse places than this when I was running from Gaston. At least it’s warm here, and the company couldn’t be better…”  
Those words did ease his worries a bit, and he knelt down, still holding her tightly in his arms, and let her lie down before him, covering her body with his own as they kissed and fondled each other.   
It took a while for Belle to gather up enough courage to do so, and when she finally let her hand feel the bulge in his leather pants, he groaned with longing for her. It had taken her quite a while to show any interest in that part of him, and the fact that she was finally reaching out for him in that way was making his cock twitch in anticipation.  
She was quick to unbutton him, but struggled to get him out of the tight leather, causing him to chuckle in amusement. Moving to the side, he pulled off his pants as quickly as he could, and as he crawled on top of her again, he could see the blush on her cheeks and the way her eyes were fixed on his fully erect member. He did not fail to notice it when she gulped, and he hoped she wasn’t frightened.   
“It’s eh… it’s very big,” she said, not sure what else to say for she had never seen another man naked in her entire life. She just wondered how everything was supposed to fit.  
As she touched him there, she immediately realized that it felt incredibly soft – much like she felt herself down there. Rumplestiltskin closed his eyes and simply gasped as she wrapped her tender fingers around him, enjoying the gentle teasing.   
“Belle,” he rasped in a hoarse voice, burying his head in her hair as he still hovered over her, careful not to rest his full weight on her.   
She did not let go of him, but she did stop her fingers from moving over him as she looked up at him, wondering what he wanted to say.   
“I won’t rush you,” he promised. “If you want to take it a step further, I gladly will too…” He gave her a soft kiss, before he continued: “But if you don’t want to continue, then you only need to say so – at any time – alright? And I will stop.”  
She nodded, a bit of the panic in her chest ebbing away again, and she wondered: “But how are you ever going to fit inside me? Won’t that hurt?”  
She seemed rather worried about it, and Rumplestiltskin gave her a few kisses in her neck, whispering: “I think you’re ready for it. Trust me, your entrance will adjust to me as your arousal grows. The trick is not to rush into it, but to wait until you reach the point where you can’t wait any longer.”  
Belle bit her lip, her chest already heaving a little at the idea that he’d drive her so wild she would beg him for more. She had no doubt that such desire was possible, especially with Rumplestiltskin.   
They continued their sweet and passionate kissing, Rumplestiltskin’s hands traveling all over her body while she kept one hand on his chest and the other wrapped around his member. She let her thumb explore the soft flesh even further, not knowing what to do precisely, but still finding it all very exciting.   
Though he was nowhere close to coming this way, Rumplestiltskin honestly didn’t mind. She would need more time, more excitement, and he gladly served as her play-toy in the meanwhile.   
As her finger trailed over a particularly sensitive spot, he moaned gently, only to discover his Belle had been listening carefully for every little sound he made, and it was like she had just discovered his greatest weakness. Soon she was driving him insane with her gentle rubbing, circling her finger around that particular spot like he had circled his tongue around hers. It wasn’t what he needed to come, but he was soon dripping wet for her. As she wrapped her fingers around his wet member, he could no longer resist. He rocked his hips forward, moaning at the friction he experienced in her hand. He repeated this a few times, noticing how she was gripping him harder, and as a result his moans only became louder and more desperate.   
The clever little thing picked these things up way too quickly, and when she suddenly started jerking him off – perhaps a bit slower than he liked, but still blissfully amazing – he buried his face in her neck, kissing her, biting her even – yet never drawing blood, inhaling the scent of her hair, and completely forgetting what he had actually planned.   
A few times, he felt insanely close to coming, and the third time that this happened, he pulled away from her, his breathing irregular as he sat up, moving his body away from hers with his member still erect against his stomach.   
“Is something wrong?” Belle wondered, a proud smile on her lips, and Rumplestiltskin knew that she was beginning to realize what wonderful power she held over him – the little minx.   
“Got a little too close to coming there,” he admitted, placing his hands on his thighs as he tried to relax a bit.   
Belle shrugged. “Then why don’t you?” she asked.  
He smirked, looking at her with nothing but the full devotion he felt for her. “Because unlike you, my sweet Belle, I cannot come several times in an hour.”  
Belle blushed, fondly remembering that morning of a few days ago, when he had made her come no less than three times in a row.  
“For men, it is a little more exhausting than it is for women to come. And once I come, I will no longer be able to enter you until I’m fully erect again, and that could take a few hours.”  
Belle looked at his member, biting her lip as she did so, thinking about these differences between men and women. “So it doesn’t always look like that…” she noted. “I mean… I would have noticed if it was always that big, I guess.”  
Rumplestiltskin laughed, finding nothing as endearing as her naïveté.   
“Oh, my sweetheart,” he sighed lovingly. “I will teach you all I can about these things. Not that I’m an expert, but there’s still so much for us to do and try.”  
Belle beckoned for him to come closer into her arms, and he returned to rest on top of her, smiling as she put her arms around him.   
“Then let’s try the basics now,” she said with a blush on her cheeks. “I think I’m ready. It’s like… it’s almost like I can feel how I’m wider now – with longing for you. Does that even make sense, or am I just imagining it?”  
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t think you’re imagining things. We’ve been kissing for quite a long time already, it’s bound to make you excited.”

She nodded. “You didn’t even touch me down there, but it’s throbbing in desire. I didn’t even know that was possible.”  
Her words were only turning him on, and as he took himself in his hand, he slowly moved his member over her slit, feeling how she was even hotter and wetter than he was. They both gasped in appreciation of that feeling, and after repeating the simple motion a dozen times over, Rumplestiltskin gently pushed himself inside her, her moan not betraying any pain – but just a feeling of desire and lust.   
Careful not to lose himself completely, he retreated and pushed himself inside of her a few times, each time a little deeper, until her walls completely surrounded him, tightly clenching around his throbbing erection.  
He had tried not to think of how amazing it felt, but as he started rolling his hips against her, he realized that he only wanted to go faster and harder and reach his release. His sweet Belle managed to soothe his anticipation by demanding a wet kiss from him, her gaze a little dazed as she looked into his eyes, trying to take in these new sensations.   
He looked at her as well, wondering how it was for her, and he asked: “Does it hurt?”  
“No,” she replied softly, biting her lip as he kept on rocking against her. “It’s just… just a bit strange, that’s all.”  
“Pleasurable?” he asked, a little anxious she would reply that it was the opposite, and he let out a relieved sigh when she nodded in agreement.   
She kept her entire body wrapped around him as he moved against her, his shoulders tensing as his thrusts became deeper. She started moaning his name in desire, and he could not help but pant and grunt whenever he filled her up completely, trying to distract himself by kissing her neck, sometimes not even aware of how long he sucked her skin and left her with small hickeys.   
When she suddenly moaned: “Faster…”, Rumplestiltskin could not be more eager to comply. He did as she told him, and when her moans became louder and louder, he suddenly stopped. “I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked in a worried tone, and Belle shook her head, reaching up to kiss his neck. “Continue, please,” she begged him. “It’s amazing. I’m close to coming.”  
He soon continued, his hand reaching down between them to bring his Belle to her most-deserved release, not slowing down on the pace. She was so incredibly wet for him that he could not imagine it to have felt any better, and when he heard her now familiar cries of pleasure, he did not stop, quite the contrary. He used those moments of her release to push in harder and quicker than before, and only several seconds after he had seen the pleasure pass over her face, he came himself, groaning as he emptied himself deep inside of her, burying himself in his beauty, who looked on with a soft smile on her face as he panted and seemed completely exhausted from what they had just done. But most importantly of all: she saw the pleasure in his eyes the moment he opened them again, and they shared one last, long and passionate kiss before he slid out of her, feeling completely spent, but happier than ever before.


	7. HAPPILY EVER AFTER

It was clear to both Belle and Rumplestiltskin that they had never been happier in their entire lives. While Rumplestiltskin spent the mornings hunting and earned enough to support the two of them, Belle waited for him in the cottage, reading or cleaning a bit. The afternoons they spent by making long walks in the forest, and sometimes, just for the hell of it, Belle would ask him to count to a hundred before he’d come to look for her.   
He always enjoyed the chase and had no trouble picking up her scent, no matter where she went. And when he found her, he would hold her close and kiss her all over, sometimes begging her to do it again, other times unable to keep his hands off of her, and they would not leave until they both were completely satisfied.   
But when it rained, they would just sit inside. Belle would read to him, and he would lay his head in her lap, hanging onto her every word. And when his energy would become too much and he got frustrated from sitting inside, Belle always offered to distract him with some ‘ _exercise_ ’. He could not have found a better partner in his lifetime, he knew that much.   
The full moons, however, he sent her away. One day before their first full moon together, they had both gotten a bit of a scare. During their lovemaking, Rumplestiltskin had been a little rougher than before, and he had hardly been able to contain himself as he had taken her from behind, roaring in pleasure when he had come. Not only had the sound of his roar startled Belle, but when she had looked back to see his face and noticed he had already transformed, his eyes darker and his teeth more wolflike, she had feared that he would bite her for a moment.   
And the desire to do so had been very strong. But he had been able to fight it and had run off, still completely naked. Perhaps it would have been funny, if she had not been alone for the next four hours, and when he returned, he was nearly freezing cold, and not accepting her warm hugs for comfort.   
“Don’t touch me now,” he had said softly. “It’s not safe – not now. I’ll bring you to the widow Lukas for a few days – just until it’s over – but if you do not wish to stay with me after this – I completely understand.”   
Belle had kept her distance, but had told him that she would not give up on him, and that not a hair on her head was thinking of leaving him. She would stay by his side for as long as he would want her, and she would gladly stay with the widow Lukas if that made him feel better during the full moon.   
She had noticed a change in his lovemaking after she had returned though. He was softer, gentler and so careful that Belle sometimes wondered if he was afraid of losing control even in those days when there was no moon in the sky.  
Part of her missed it that he no longer made such wild love to her, but another part was starting to realize than their slower lovemaking was only more intense for it. They would stare into each other’s eyes and slowly roll their hips in perfect harmony with one another, the amount of friction bringing the both of them to a most blissful release in just a matter of minutes. His kisses would be tender and soft – and she wouldn’t feel any painful hickeys or discover bite marks in the days after.  
It certainly had a few advantages, but she was also a little sad because she felt like he was trying his hardest to hide a part from him that was as natural to him as her love for books was to her.   
For the months that followed, he would send her to the widow Lukas while he would go out with Red and Graham during the full moon. He would not tell her too much about what happened in those nights, but Belle had already heard from Red’s Granny that they often had several deer and boars for her after such a full moon, and that they did nothing but frantically look for new prey and kill without stopping to think if they had killed too much that night.  
But even after she heard the widow Lukas confess that, she did not think differently about Rumplestiltskin. Red and Graham were also wonderful humans, always so very kind and polite to her, and she didn’t think there was any shame in being a wolf. They were some of her favorite people in the world, and they even borrowed Belle books of their own, so incredibly eager to make her happy.  
But while Rumplestiltskin practiced his self-control on Belle, night after night, Belle was starting to realize how much she wanted to be like him – to enjoy those parts of himself that he tried to hide. She didn’t want to be repulsed from him when his mouth was covered in blood, or have to leave him during that time of month when he needed her most. He would always look at her with such longing when she left him for a few days, and so she decided to do it no more. She would stay – and she would get bitten – and as the blood in her veins mixed with his saliva during the full moon, she would turn into a wolf herself.  
She brought up the subject a few times, but Rumplestiltskin refused to talk about it, saying that it was a ridiculous idea, and that he did not wish for her to handle any rejection because of it. But as it was, it wasn’t like she was that popular among the townspeople. After all, her association with him already made her an outcast. Becoming a wolf would not make it worse.   
And eventually, when the full moon came, they had their first fight, where Rumplestiltskin would demand Belle to leave, and she refused to go. Eventually, Rumplestiltskin had slammed the door and headed off himself, his last words instructing her to go to the widow Lukas before nightfall. But she had not obeyed, and she had stayed inside the house, waiting for the night to fall.  
When it did, she put on her crimson cloak and headed outside, waiting on the porch of the small cottage for any howls in the distance. When she heard one, then another – and a third – she suddenly howled back – her howl sounding much higher and fake than the others had – but she knew that they would hear it – she knew that it would call to them.   
Standing in the middle of the open area in front of Rumplestiltskin’s house, she waited, feeling a little nervous and wondering what Red and Graham would do if they found her first. But there was no first – it were all three of them together as they emerged from the bushes – and Belle gulped as she saw their dark eyes and bared teeth, their chins and clothes full of blood from the previous prey they had found that night.   
They were a pack, and they moved slowly towards her, keeping low to the ground, and for a moment Belle feared that they were going to eat her after all, not seeing a look of recognition in their eyes. But as she turned to Rumplestiltskin, he suddenly faltered, taking a step back instead of forward, as though he was stopping himself from going any further. Red and Graham noticed, and they kept still as well, simply looking at her.  
Gathering all her courage, she took a few steps closer to her love, holding out her hand as she reached for him, seeing him cower a little.   
“Rumple,” she whispered, hoping she could reach him. “Don’t be afraid… I’m not… Please, let me join your pack…”  
He bared his teeth again as she came ever closer, growling dangerously, but Belle did not pull away her hand.   
“You know I’m not afraid… Just bite me… Please…”  
She could see how he looked at her hand, contemplating to reach for it and snap at it, until he suddenly grasped her hand with his own rough one, pulling her completely against him, and digging his fingertips in her hips as he held her close.  
Red and Graham stood nearby, the latter crouched down patiently as he waited for Rumplestiltskin to make up his mind, and Red seemingly distracted by sounds that came from miles away, not even looking at Belle and Rumplestiltskin anymore.   
“I can’t undo it if I bite you,” he warned her, his voice a low rumble, and his breath hot and smelling of blood as he spoke to her, but she did not look away. He closed the other hand around her neck and squeezed her tighter with each passing moment. “But if you run away now, we will chase you – and kill you. Once you behave like prey, you are our prey.”  
He seemed to be fighting the animal inside of him, warning her of the dangers, even as his mouth had started to water from looking at her, and he seemed to be looking for the best spot to bite her, his gaze hungry as he stared at her cleavage underneath the cape, but he quickly shook his head and forbade himself to bite her there. He loved her – his beauty – and just the thought of biting her and leaving her with a mark was a painful one to him.  
She held out her hand, brought it close to his mouth, and as he inhaled her scent, he could no longer fight it. The next moment he was biting her wrist, and though it hurt like hell, Belle did not scream.  
She did not want to awaken those carnal instincts that wolves felt when they sensed someone’s fear, and though Red and Graham looked on, they did not make any instigation to join them.   
As Rumplestiltskin sucked the blood out of the wound he had made, he feasted on her warm and flesh blood, the taste his favorite in the world, and he moaned in longing, the low rumble in his throat betraying how pleased he was at the same time. But Belle wasn’t getting stronger like he was, she was growing weaker, and the moment she blacked out, she feared that perhaps she had calculated everything completely wrong.   
But she did not die – that was something else she realized – instead, she dreamed. She dreamed of biting Rumplestiltskin’s wrist, of drinking his blood instead, and she dreamed of running – of chasing. She dreamed of killing a boar, of slashing its neck and eating its deliciously warm flesh, of sharing it with Red and Graham, and she dreamed of Rumplestiltskin kissing her, his snout bloody as he touched hers. She dreamed of howling against the moon, all four of them, of being a family again, and when she woke, she found herself in the cottage with a killer headache, moaning as a way of greeting the day.   
Opening her eyes, she saw Rumplestiltskin by her side, smiling as he looked at her, an affection in his eyes that was so warm and emotional that she thought he was going to cry. Afraid something was wrong, she wanted to sit up, but the moment she leaned on her hand, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist, and as she held her wrist in front of her and saw the bandage around it, she realized that it hadn’t all been a dream, and her mouth dropped a little as she looked at Rumplestiltskin.   
He shyly raised his own hand, a bandage around his wrist as well, and it only took Belle a minute for Belle to gratefully jump onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him, a low growl of pleasure escaping her throat as she kissed him back.   
Rumplestiltskin laughed as he recognized the sound, and as they kissed, they tried to flip the other onto their back, fighting for dominance where none was needed. They were equals now, and they couldn’t be happier. This was their happy ending.

    _The End._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this far. :-) I do hope you enjoyed the story.  
> I must admit that it's quite exciting to post on AO3 for the first time.   
> I'm more than eager to hear your comments/reviews/remarks, or to receive some constructive criticism that will help me improve my writing. Thank you once more!


	8. (fanmix!)

Listen to this fanmix for Wolf Love on [8tracks](http://8tracks.com/cartoonjessie/rumbelle-wolf-song) or [youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH6L1T1CYYI&list=PLvCPu2FgWtmpHFKT7nXihlGts3Ap58BIq)! 

 


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